Hans News Service Amalapuram

TheCongress has organised a large-scale dharna in Amalapuram, headquarters of Konaseema district, on Wednesday demanding immediate resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and restoration of voter names allegedly deleted from the rolls.

Congress Working Committee member and former APCC president Gidugu Rudra Raju, who participated in the protest, alleged that the Election Commission had compromised the sanctity of the electoral process and demanded that the CEC face legal action if violations were established. The Congress has been intensifying its protests over the SIR and its functioning.

Rudra Raju said the party had three immediate demands: resignation of Gyanesh Kumar as CEC, suspension of the SIR process and restoration of the names of around 13 crore voters, whom the Congress alleges were illegally deleted from electoral rolls. He alleged that important decisions relating to electoral rolls were being taken arbitrarily and claimed that the CEC had acted without the approval of the other Election Commissioners on several occasions.