IYC protests against EC, demands CEC’s resignation

New Delhi: Wearing masks bearing the faces of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Youth Congress protested against the Election Commission on Friday, demanding greater accountability and transparency in the electoral process and rolls.

The protesters attempted to march from the IYC office on Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar, shouting slogans and displaying posters and banners that demanded accountability from Kumar and his resignation. IYC workers said police stopped them outside their office.

Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed along the route, with barricades erected and buses stationed near the IYC office on Raisina Road to detain protesters. IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib led the demonstration, with the youth wing announcing plans to gherao the Election Commission office.

“We are protesting because the Election Commission is responsible for protecting the sanctity of every vote. When questions are being raised within the Commission itself over decisions concerning electoral rolls, the country deserves answers and accountability,” Chib said. He said young people cannot remain silent when questions arise over the electoral process. The demonstration also comes days after the IYC launched an online petition demanding Kumar’s removal, following a media report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections over decisions related to electoral rolls.

The petition, titled “Gyanesh, It’s Done Bro”, also calls for Kumar’s arrest and prosecution, a comprehensive probe into the electoral process and rolls, and public disclosure of electoral records and internal objections raised within the poll panel.

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The Hans India