Thousands join INDIA Bloc rally in Agartala, demand removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Agartala: Thousands of people, including a large number of women, took part in a massive protest rally organised by the INDIA Bloc parties here on Friday, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of electoral malpractices and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Carrying thousands of Tricolours, singing patriotic songs and raising slogans, the protesters marched through the streets of the state capital, Agartala, demanding the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of “vote theft and various other electoral malpractices”.

The Tripura unit of the INDIA Bloc, comprising eight political parties -- the Congress, CPI(M), CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Forward Bloc, CPI(ML), Gana Mancha and Tripura People's Party -- jointly organised the protest rally and vowed to continue their agitation until their demands were met.

The protesters marched through different parts of the city, raising slogans and expressing their anger over what they described as serious irregularities in the electoral process.

The rally witnessed a massive public turnout, with participants waving the national flag and calling for greater accountability and transparency in the country's electoral system.

The protest rally was followed by a public meeting in the state capital, where the demonstrators reiterated their demand for the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and the suspension of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.

Former Tripura Chief Minister and veteran CPI(M) leader, Manik Sarkar, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chaudhury, former Minister Manik Dey, Tripura state Congress President Asish Kumar Saha, former Minister and Congress Working Committee member Sudip Roy Barman, along with several other senior leaders of the INDIA Bloc, led the protest rally and addressed the gathering.

The four-point charter of demands includes the removal of Gyanesh Kumar from the post of Chief Election Commissioner, withdrawal of the ongoing SIR process, a review of provisions allegedly affecting the independence of the Election Commission, and opposition to the legal protections granted to the Chief Election Commissioner.

CPI(M) Tripura state secretary and Jitendra Chaudhury alleged that the SIR exercise could lead to the exclusion of genuine voters from electoral rolls if adequate safeguards were not put in place.

He also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission and accused the BJP-led Central government of weakening the country's democratic institutions.

“Nearly 13.50 crore voters have already been removed from electoral rolls across the country through the SIR exercise, and there are apprehensions that over 2.50 lakh voters could be deleted from Tripura's electoral rolls during the upcoming SIR process,” Chaudhury said.

Tripura state Congress Committee President, Asish Kumar Saha, echoed similar concerns, alleging irregularities in voter registration, including duplicate entries and unusually large numbers of voters registered at certain addresses.

He also raised questions over the transparency of electoral procedures and warned that such alleged irregularities could undermine public confidence in the country's electoral system.

Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman appealed to political parties outside the INDIA Bloc, as well as other supporters of democracy, to join the campaign against the alleged electoral malpractices.

He said the INDIA Bloc's agitation would continue to put pressure on the Election Commission and the authorities concerned to address their grievances regarding electoral roll revisions and ensure the integrity, transparency and fairness of the voting process.

The INDIA Bloc leaders reiterated their resolve to continue the democratic movements until their demands were addressed and the concerns raised by the Opposition parties over the electoral process were adequately resolved.

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