Shillong, September 25: Meghalaya Congress workers on Friday burnt an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar near the Additional Secretariat in Shillong, accusing him of colluding with the BJP to manipulate the electoral process. Led by Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president Vincent H. Pala, the protest march began at Congress Bhavan and culminated at the parking lot near the Additional Secretariat, where the effigy was set ablaze.
Pala alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had overridden objections raised by the two other election commissioners over the past 10 months with the BJP’s support. “As you have seen in the papers, the CEC has manipulated the system. In the last 10 months, the two other election commissioners raised 14 objections, but he bulldozed all of them with the help of the BJP,” Pala claimed. He further alleged that the Centre had amended the law to facilitate electoral manipulation and accused the BJP of undermining the people’s mandate.
Referring to elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal, Pala claimed that voter lists and electoral data had been manipulated, including through the large-scale deletion of voters. “All the lists and data have been manipulated in Delhi by a single man—the CEC—and his office,” he alleged.
The Congress leader demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s immediate resignation, followed by an inquiry and his arrest over the alleged irregularities. “We demand that he step down immediately. After his resignation, a commission of inquiry should be constituted, and he should be arrested. Only then will people have trust and faith in the Constitution and the electoral system,” Pala said.
He also accused the BJP of manipulating the system and urged the party to take responsibility.Pala thanked members of the Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and other party workers for joining the protest at short notice.
He said the Congress Working Committee would meet soon to decide the party’s next course of action. While Friday’s protest was organised at the state level, similar demonstrations would subsequently be held across Meghalaya’s districts, he added.
