Shillong, October 28: Senior Congress leader and former five-term MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise could deprive eligible citizens of their voting rights and undermine constitutional principles.
Addressing the media in Shillong as part of the Congress’s “Vote Bachao–Desh Bachao” campaign, Chowdhury questioned the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls and accused it of failing to adequately protect eligible voters from being excluded.
He stressed that accurate and inclusive electoral rolls were essential for free and fair elections, arguing that the fairness of an election could not be assessed solely by how polling was conducted. He said eligible citizens whose names were missing from the electoral rolls would be unable to exercise their right to vote.
Chowdhury described the potential exclusion of eligible voters as a serious concern for democracy, emphasising that the Election Commission had a responsibility to protect citizens’ electoral rights and maintain public confidence in its impartiality.
He also criticised the ruling party for defending the Commission against Opposition allegations, arguing that concerns about the electoral process should be addressed rather than dismissed.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, Chowdhury said the Congress had repeatedly raised concerns to ensure that eligible citizens were not deprived of their voting rights. He maintained that the campaign was aimed at protecting democratic rights and ensuring accountability among institutions responsible for conducting elections.
Calling for greater transparency in the electoral process, he said public confidence depended on access to information and satisfactory answers to concerns surrounding the revision of electoral rolls.
Chowdhury also appealed to citizens and like-minded political parties to join efforts to protect constitutional safeguards and democratic institutions. He said the Congress would continue its campaign to highlight alleged irregularities and defend voters’ rights.
The allegations were made by Chowdhury during his interaction with the media. No response from the Election Commission or the ruling party was included in the material provided.
