CEC Gyanesh Kumar must go

Kochi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday claimed that the fight against the voter list revision would continue.

Speaking at the ‘Jantar Mantar at Kochi’ protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Dipke said that the government's handling of the agitation showed how cowardly the Centre is. Earlier, speaking to reporters at Kochi airport, Dipke said the campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would continue until an independent and impartial electoral system was established. He must resign, Dipke added.

He alleged that elections under the present CEC could not be trusted and were being manipulated to benefit one political party. He also claimed that voter deletions were taking place across the country and that no state was untouched by the SIR exercise.

Questioning the appointment of a former Kerala Chief Electoral Officer as secretary to the Chief Minister, he said such appointments raised questions about the impartiality of the electoral system.

Actor Prakash Raj also joined the protest, which saw around 500 activists, civil rights campaigners and citizens taking part. Dipke said he had gone to jail for hoisting the national flag and would continue to carry the Tricolour wherever he went in the country.

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