Uttarakhand: Congress protests against the Election Commission amidst the controversy, demands the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner

The Congress party staged a protest in Dehradun on Friday regarding the Election Commission of India’s functioning and the special intensive revision process. Led by State Congress President Ganesh Godiyal, party leaders and workers marched from the state Congress office to the Secretariat and laid siege to the election office located there. During the protest, an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was also burned.

State in-charge Kumari Selja, Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Congress Working Committee member Karan Mahara, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Bhuvan Kapri, former Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, and former MP Pradeep Tamta, along with various MLAs and senior leaders, were present at the protest. The Congress submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sadar).

In the memorandum, the Congress demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two Election Commissioners from their posts, the annulment of their previous decisions, and the appointment of a new Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. The party also demanded the arrest of the Election Commissioners.

Questions Raised Regarding the SIR Process

Congress leaders alleged that several serious irregularities and procedural discrepancies were coming to light during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The party stated that complete transparency and impartiality must be ensured in the processes of adding names, deleting names, and resolving objections regarding the voter list.

The Congress claimed that in several assembly constituencies of the state, attempts were being made to delete voters’ names by having certain individuals file a large number of ‘Form-7’ applications. The party demanded an investigation into such cases and a verification of the actual connection between the individuals filing mass objections and the concerned voters or the area in question.

Nine Demands Placed Before the President by Congress

1. Resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner:

The Congress demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to restore public faith in the impartiality and credibility of the Election Commission. Transparency in Voter

2. List Revision:

A demand was made to ensure complete transparency and accountability in the Election Commission’s process of revising and amending voter lists.

3. Impartial Inquiry and Hearing Before Name Deletion:

A demand was raised for an impartial inquiry and the right to a fair hearing for the concerned voter during the process of deleting a name from the voter list or raising an objection against a voter.

4. Timely Redressal of Grievances:

A demand was made for the timely and impartial resolution of election-related objections and grievances raised by political parties, as well as for informing the concerned parties about the action taken.

5. Investigation into Complaints of Bias and Pressure:

A demand was made for an independent and impartial investigation into any complaints regarding bias, pressure, or arbitrary actions within the election process.

6. Demand to Make Election-Related Data Public:

A demand was made to make critical data regarding voter lists and the election process—including objections, their resolution, and the procedures for adding or deleting names—as public and transparent as possible.

7. Demand to Safeguard Names of Eligible Voters:

A demand was made to ensure that no eligible citizen’s name is removed from the voter list due to political or administrative pressure, and that no ineligible person’s name is included in violation of the rules.

8. Institutional Reforms in the Election Commission:

A demand was made to ensure necessary institutional reforms and accountability mechanisms to uphold the constitutional dignity, independence, and impartiality of the Election Commission.

9. Scrutiny and Public Disclosure of Form-7:

A demand was made to publicly disclose details—broken down by assembly constituency and polling booth—of all Form-7 applications received during the revision process. Additionally, a demand was raised to make public the list of individuals filing an unusually high number of Form-7 applications and to conduct a special inquiry into their objections. The Congress stated that in such cases, it should also be verified whether the concerned individual has a genuine connection to the voters and the area in question. The name of any valid voter should not be removed based solely on Form-7 or an objection without an actual physical verification by the Booth Level Officer or the Electoral Registration Officer and without providing the concerned voter a full opportunity to be heard.

Large number of leaders and party workers present

A large number of leaders were present at the protest, including MLAs Mamta Rakesh, Furkan Ahmad, Lakhpat Butola, and Ravi Bahadur; former ministers Shoorveer Singh Sajwan and Ajay Singh; and former MLAs Ranjit Rawat, Om Gopal Rawat, Lalit Farswan, and Jot Singh Gunsola.

Numerous office-bearers and party workers were also present, including State Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana; State General Secretary (Organization) Rajendra Bhandari; Ashwini Bahuguna; Media Chairman and Vice President Rajiv Maharshi; Sujata Paul; Lalchand Sharma; Godavari Thapli; Abhinav Thapar; Sanjay Kanojia; Aryendra Sharma; Hema Purohit; Rajendra Shah; Naveen Joshi; Rakesh Negi; Amarjit Singh; Surendra Rangar; Dr. Pratima Singh; Amendra Bisht; Sheeshpal Bisht; Jaswinder Singh Gogi; Sundarlal Moyal; Mahendra Singh Negi; Virendra Pokhriyal; Virendra Rawat; Vinay Saraswat; Mohit Uniyal; Sanjay Kishore; Madan Lal; Sunita Prakash; Sonia Anand; Nitin Bisht; Ajay Rawat; and Sangram Singh Pundir.

In addition, hundreds of party workers were present, including Rajiv Keshavwal, Trilok Singh Sajwan, Vijay Chauhan, Vinod Chauhan, Aruna Kumar, Garima Dasauni, Parinita Badoni, Ruchi Kaintura, Bhagwati Prasad Semwal, Upendra Thapli, Mohan Kala, Sunit Rathore, Manju Tripathi, Rajiv Kumar, Dr. Pradeep Joshi, Babban Sati, Vijaypratap Mall, Jagdish Dhiman, Sushil Dobhal, Suleman Ansari, Mahant Vinay Saraswat, Suleman Ali, Yashpal Chauhan, Kavindra Ishtwal, Titu Tyagi, Gulzar Ahmed, Sanjay Rawat, Vikas Negi, Piya Thapa, Anoop Kapoor, Akhilesh Uniyal, Robin Tyagi, Vipul Jain, Arjun Pradhan, Amardev Goniyal, Jai Barswal, Poonam Kandari, Virendra Panwar, Najma Khan, Asha Sharma, Chandrakala Negi, Pushpa Panwar, Etat Khan, Mukim Ahmed, Lalit Bhadri, Kamal Singh Rawat, Sumendra Bohra, Vinod Kumar, Bhupendra Chaudhary, Pritam Arya, Mohan Rana, Prashant Khanduri, Ritesh Joshi, Ritesh Kshetri, Telu Ram Pradhan, Lakhiram Bijalwan, Swati Negi, Satyendra Panwar, Anoop Saxena, Sanjay Uniyal, Naveen Ramola, Kartar Negi, Anand Pudir, Devendra Rawat, Mahesh Joshi, Arun Valmiki, Praveen Kashyap, Sachin Tichkule, Gulsher Munna, Anil Basnet, and Savitri Thapa.

Congress leaders stated that the integrity of the voter list and the fairness of the electoral process are directly linked to public trust in democracy. The party urged the President to take necessary constitutional and legal action regarding their demands.