RJD stages protest in Ranchi, seeks CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

Ranchi: RJD workers staged a demonstration here and burnt an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation amid a news report of disquiet within the poll panel over pan-India SIR.

During the protest at Ranchi's Albert Ekka Chowk on Saturday, the party workers accused the Election Commission of giving the BJP "unfair advantage" in polls.

"In Bihar, Bengal, and other states, the public sentiment was against the BJP. But CEC Gyanesh Kumar manipulated the electoral rolls to influence the election and secure a victory for the BJP," RJD state vice president Shyam Das Singh alleged.

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He demanded that Kumar must resign immediately.

The protest came after an Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge, even as the national rollout of the SIR was under the supervision of the full commission.

Their objections covered the way the statutory voter registration Form 6 was amended, the handling of additions and deletions from voter lists, and centralised control over the electoral roll database, according to the report.

Also read: Karnataka Congress protests against SIR, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

RJD leader Singh alleged that the names of around 65 lakh people in Bihar and around 27 lakh in Bengal were struck off the electoral rolls during the special intensive revision exercise.

"Despite political parties repeatedly raising questions about the credibility of EVMs, Kumar remained completely unmoved. He not only tampered with the SIR process and EVMs but also conspired to alter the voting percentage after the votes had been cast," RJD vice president Anita Yadav alleged.