CJP Gives Gyanesh Kumar 48-Hour Resignation Ultimatum

CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke said, "We urge all political parties: you cannot participate in a contest you know is rigged while complaining about it on the sidelines. Taking part legitimises the outcome, so take a definitive stand. To the public: this concerns your right to vote. If Gyanesh Kumar wants to serve political masters, he should resign and officially take up an aide's job rather than occupying a constitutional chair. We issue a 48-hour ultimatum: if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign within 48 hours, the Cockroach Janata Party will launch a nationwide agitation before heading to Delhi." 

Dipke Questions SIR Process

This comes after an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi sought questions over the Special Intensive Revision or SIR of the electoral rolls but their views were not heard. He said that the Election Commission has cancelled 13 crore votes. Kumar did whatever he could for the BJP government to continue their power in the country.

Dipke said, "The report that came out yesterday regarding the Election Commission proves that Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, is the biggest traitor to this nation. He is the biggest anti-national in this country, and he should resign immediately. Why is he an anti-national? Because he is the biggest threat to India's democracy,” in Hindi.

"What did democracy mean in our country? It meant the public gets to choose the government and the people decide who they vote for. But ever since Gyanesh Kumar took over as Chief Election Commissioner, the government decides who votes and who does not. What kind of definition of democracy is this? You have turned democracy upside down. This is not democracy, this is autocracy. And its biggest criminal, the biggest anti-national behind this right now, is Gyanesh Kumar," he added.

CJP Lists Three Demands

CJP co-convenor Saurav Das announced three demands – the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, criminal proceedings against him and the persons who instructed him and a halt to all forthcoming polls. 

Besides, the outfit sought to revert the SIR to the 2025 electoral roll, transfer the SIR-linked files to the Supreme Court Committee and repeal the legislation that established the appointment of ECI Members.

EC Explains Internal Differences

These comments come at a time of a political debate over the functioning of the Election Commission. The Congress Working Committee is slated to meet in New Delhi on September 29 to deliberate on this and the prevailing political situation.

This was followed up by The Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected in the 10 months for 14 times including on the decisions and directions relating to the electoral-roll process and SIR.

The Election Commission argued that such differences are a feature of a multi-member constitutional body and revealed that all decisions on the SIR, like all other issues, are taken unanimously.