Imphal: The Congress in Manipur held protests in five districts on Monday as part of its nationwide campaign against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Congress workers staged demonstrations outside district election offices in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching and Churachandpur.
The protesters burnt effigies of the CEC and demanded his arrest over the alleged exclusion of names from electoral rolls as part of the party’s “Vote Chori” campaign.
Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) member Th. Oxford Singh and retired Colonel Md. Shahid Khan were among the party leaders who took part in the protests. They alleged that the SIR exercise could affect voting rights and the functioning of the electoral system.
The Congress also cited alleged differences within the Election Commission over decisions related to electoral roll management. The party referred to objections allegedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The protests are part of the Congress campaign over allegations that more than 13 crore names were excluded from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and union territories.
BJP Manipur Pradesh General Secretary K. Sarat Kumar rejected the allegations during a press briefing at Thambal Sanglen. Defending the electoral exercise, he said the decision on the revision was taken collectively by the three-member commission on September 26 and rejected the demand for the CEC’s removal.
Kumar asked the Congress to provide evidence of irregularities instead of politicising the electoral process. He said no malpractice had been reported in Manipur and claimed that the Congress had carried out similar revisions when it was in power.