New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee will meet September 29 to discuss the party’s roadmap for upping the ante against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the government in the light of reports of differences within the Election Commission over SIR, sources said.
The meeting, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, is likely to be attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, among others.
Sources said the party’s highest decision-making body will strategise on ramping up pressure over its demand for Kumar’s removal and cornering the government over the issue.
They said preparations for the upcoming polls are also likely to be deliberated upon.
The Congress Thursday alleged that Gen Z is being targeted for exclusion and pressed for its demand that Kumar must resign immediately.
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The opposition party also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will be held accountable for their diabolical designs.
The Congress’ attack comes a day after an Indian Express report said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge, even as the national rollout of the SIR was under the supervision of the full commission.
Their objections covered the manner in which the statutory voter registration Form 6 was amended, the handling of additions and deletions from voter lists, and centralised control over the electoral roll database, according to the report
Under fire over the red flags raised by two of its commissioners over the SIR process, the EC asserted Wednesday that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
In a statement, the poll panel also said that not only the three commissioners, but every officer of the EC is fully authorised to give his suggestions to the commission for improving the electoral system.
