Shimla, September 25: On the call of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Himachal Pradesh Congress leaders and workers held a protest outside the State Election Commission office here on Thursday, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Vinay Kumar, the protesters raised slogans against the Central Election Commission and burnt an effigy of the Chief Election Commissioner.
AICC Himachal in-charge Rajni Patil, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Animal Husbandry Minister Choudhary Chandra Kumar, Education Minister Rohit Thakur, former MP Pratibha Singh, AICC secretaries and co-in-charges Chetan Chauhan, Vidit Chaudhary and Raghuveer Bali, PCC organisation general secretary Vinod Zinta, along with district and block office-bearers, leaders of frontal organisations and departments, Shimla Municipal Corporation Mayor and councillors, and hundreds of Congress workers participated in the protest.
Rajni Patil alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had undermined the rights of voters and damaged the credibility of the Election Commission. Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, she said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier raised concerns over the process and claimed that these concerns were subsequently reflected in letters written by two Election Commissioners. She said the Congress would launch a nationwide movement seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri also criticised the functioning of the Chief Election Commissioner and alleged that more than 13 crore voters had been deprived of their rights. He said questions had been raised over the impartiality of the Election Commission and asserted that the Congress would continue its campaign on the issue.
PCC president Vinay Kumar said the state Congress would expose what it described as irregularities in the functioning of the Central Election Commission. He said Congress workers would organise street-corner meetings across districts and blocks to make people aware of their voting rights and the party’s allegations regarding “vote theft
