‘Nothing to do with SIR row’: EC on postponement of CEC’s UP outreach events

Recent allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar suggest unilateral actions disregarding his colleagues’ views.

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday clarified that the postponement of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s youth outreach events in Uttar Pradesh had nothing to do with the ongoing row over alleged internal differences in the poll body but were necessiated due to various logistical factors.“Adjustments in dates of events is an ongoing process which is necessitated by various factors such as availability of venues, schedules of higher authorities, natural factors etc,” officials said.“There have been many occasions when the electoral literacy conferences had been postponed/dates changed earlier also such as HP, Ladakh, Uttarakhand. Moreover, the decision to postpone these two particular conferences was taken on Sep 21,” they added.Gyanesh Kumar was scheduled to attend the voter awareness programmes in Meerut on Friday and Varanasi on September 28.This comes as a political row erupted after an Indian Express report highlighted differences among the commissioners over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The report said election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised formal objections on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period against decisions and orders related to electoral-roll processes.Meanwhile, the opposition launched protests across the country demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.The Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress held a protest outside the chief electoral officer’s office in Bhopal, demanding Kumar’s resignation. Protesters raised slogans against the CEC and carried posters reading “arrest Gyanesh Kumar for treason” and “Vote-Chori magic trick exposed”.In Dehradun, Congress workers also staged a protest demanding Kumar’s resignation, with Congress MP Kumari Selja leading the demonstration.In Punjab, Pradesh Congress committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded Kumar’s dismissal, an FIR against him and his alleged collaborators, and their arrest. He also announced a march to the ECI office in Chandigarh under the leadership of Sachin Pilot.

“The march will begin at 11 am on September 25 from near the RBI Office, Sector 17, Chandigarh, and proceed towards the ECI office,” he said.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also vowed to launch a nationwide protest from October 2 if Kumar did not resign by Saturday.In a post on X, Dipke said CJP would begin its protest from Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti and subsequently take the agitation to cities across India.“If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India. This Gandhi Jayanti let’s pledge to save democracy,” Dipke wrote.