The Dimapur District Congress Committee staged a protest march demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged voter deletions from electoral rolls.
DIMAPUR — The Dimapur District Congress Committee (DDCC) staged a protest march in Dimapur on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over what the party alleged was the deletion of voters from electoral rolls.
The protest march proceeded from Congress Bhavan to Town Hall, with Congress workers carrying banners and placards bearing slogans including “Gyanesh Kumar Resign Karo!”, “One Person, One Vote—Protect Every Vote” and “People’s Vote Must Be Respected!” The protesters also burned an effigy of Gyanesh Kumar.
Interacting with media persons, working president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), C Apok Jamir, alleged that the deletion of more than 13 crore names from electoral rolls amounted to “the biggest extortion and theft in the country”, claiming that it had deprived thousands of people of their right to vote.
Jamir alleged that, through Gyanesh Kumar, the right to freedom, freedom of expression and the right to vote of thousands of people had been taken away.
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He termed the alleged deletion of voters an infringement of democratic rights and the Constitution, and said the Congress would continue to demand justice and press for restoration of the constitutional rights of citizens.
He maintained that the demand for the CEC’s resignation was not confined to Nagaland, but formed part of a movement across the country.
Asked what further steps the Congress would take if the CEC did not resign, Jamir said the party would assess the situation.
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He added that if Kumar’s conscience permitted him to acknowledge that he had committed a wrong against the people, he should resign immediately.
On elected legislators and councillors in Nagaland shifting their allegiance to the ruling NPF, Jamir described the development as “poaching”.
He said elected representatives had secured their mandates while contesting under particular political parties and alleged that their subsequent change of allegiance was due to coercion or inducement.
Jamir said people would have an opportunity to respond to such developments during elections.
Responding to BJP Nagaland president Benjamin Yepthomi’s recent challenge to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to come out with facts over his allegations of “vote chori”, Jamir said Gandhi had been raising the issue for the past one to two years.
He claimed that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) had the relevant facts and figures, and said the allegations were aimed at highlighting what he described as the denial of citizens’ voting rights.
Jamir added that ordinary citizens were the most affected, as voters play a crucial role in determining the outcome of elections in a democratic system.
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