Agartala, Oct 30: The CPI(M)-led Left Front and Congress, constituents of the opposition India Bloc, on Friday took out a rally in Agartala demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, restoration of names allegedly deleted from electoral rolls and an end to the ongoing voter-list revision exercise.
Amid tight security arrangements thousands of India Bloc supporters carrying the national flag marched from Orient Chowmuhani through the streets of the Tripura capital before assembling outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer at the state secretariat complex, where senior opposition leaders addressed the gathering and spoke to reporters.
The protesters accused the Election Commission of India of undermining free and fair elections and alleged that the deletion of voters’ names was benefiting the ruling BJP. They also demanded safeguards to protect voting rights and democratic institutions.
Former minister and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, CPI(M) top leaders including former chief minister Manik Sarkar, Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury and Tripura Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha were among the prominent leaders who participated in the demonstration.
Addressing reporters, Roy Barman said the rally was aimed at protecting democracy, upholding constitutional values and safeguarding citizens’ voting rights.
“The message is very loud and clear. The India Bloc wants to save democracy and ensure that constitutional values are upheld and the democratic rights of common people are not snatched away by vested interests,” he said.
Roy Barman alleged that the country was not witnessing free and fair elections and demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar from the post of Chief Election Commissioner.
He also called for the restoration of names allegedly deleted from electoral rolls and demanded changes to the law governing the appointment of election commissioners, including the restoration of a system involving the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the leader of the opposition in the selection process.
The Congress leader further demanded the repeal of legal provisions that, according to him, provide immunity to election commissioners, and called for judicial neutrality in addressing concerns over the functioning of constitutional institutions.
Roy Barman announced that the India Bloc would organise a major rally on November 1, claiming that the opposition campaign against alleged electoral irregularities would gather momentum.
Former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar, also criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre and demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s removal. He alleged that the ongoing electoral-roll revision was being used to exclude sections of voters and said the opposition’s struggle against what it described as authoritarian tendencies would continue.
Sarkar also referred to concerns over the exclusion of names from electoral rolls, arguing that the issue required sustained political resistance.
The India Bloc leaders said they would submit a memorandum outlining their demands to the election authorities.
