Congress reiterates four demands over alleged electoral malpractices, seeks CEC's resignation

Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday reiterated the party's four demands over allegations of electoral malpractices against the Election Commission of India.

The Congress held its Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, senior leader Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.

In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said the CWC had “resolved to resist the RSS-BJP’s capture of the electoral process”.

“Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi has been warning the country about Vote Chori for over a year and a half. The recent revelations have emerged because of his conviction and the sustained efforts of the Congress. Today, there is a nationwide demand to restore the integrity of India’s elections,” he said.

Congress lists four demands

The Congress reiterated its demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of names removed from voter lists.

“We have 4 clear demands: - The immediate resignation of the CEC. - The immediate suspension of the SIR. - The immediate restoration of the 13+ crore names removed from the electoral rolls. - The resignation of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, who have organised Vote Chori,” Jairam Ramesh said.

“The Congress is not only a party of opposition, but also a party of resistance. We will ensure that this struggle reaches its rightful conclusion,” he added.

The CWC resolution stated that more than 13 crore names had been removed from draft voter lists during the SIR exercise across 30 states and Union Territories.

Election Commission rejects claims of dissent

The political row intensified following an investigative report by The Indian Express, which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures linked to the SIR exercise.

The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections represented institutional dissent, maintaining that decisions related to the SIR were taken with the unanimous approval of the Commission.