‘Remove Gyanesh Kumar, Save Democracy’: Workers’ Body Protests in Chinchwad

• Kashtakari Sangharsh Mahasangh seeks CEC’s resignation, raises concerns over SIR and electoral-roll changes

Pimpri-Chinchwad : The Kashtakari Sangharsh Mahasangh staged a protest in Chinchwad on Monday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raising concerns over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The protest, led by workers’ leader Kashinath Nakhate, was held under the slogan “Remove Gyanesh Kumar, Save Democracy”. Protesters raised concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission and sought greater transparency in the electoral-roll revision process.

The protest came amid reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months regarding various decisions related to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes to Form 6 and the management of electoral-roll data. The Election Commission has maintained that key decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously.

Addressing the protesters, Nakhate alleged that the SIR process could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls and said changes in the voter-registration system needed closer public scrutiny.

He also raised concerns over the centralisation of electoral-roll data and alleged that the process could affect voters and young people seeking registration. The issue of centralised control of the electoral-roll database has also figured in the objections recorded by the two Election Commissioners.

Nakhate alleged that large numbers of names had been excluded from draft electoral rolls during the SIR exercise and claimed that 608,927 voters across the three Assembly constituencies in Pimpri-Chinchwad had been affected. He demanded that eligible voters be given an opportunity to have their names restored.

“The Election Commission must protect its institutional independence, ensure transparency in electoral rolls and safeguard citizens’ constitutional voting rights,” Nakhate said.

The protesters also demanded that the SIR process be reviewed and that concerns regarding voter deletions and electoral-roll management be addressed. After the protest, a delegation submitted a memorandum outlining its demands to Pimpri-Chinchwad tehsildar Jayraj Deshmukh.

Vice-president Rajesh Mane, working president Raju Birajdar, civic member Salim Dange, Niranjan Lokhande, Lala Rathod, Balaji Lokhande, Irfan Chaudhary, Yasin Sheikh, Sunil Bhosale, Sahadev Honmane, Omprakash Morya, Sagar Thombre, Santosh Khodve, Devappa Mitkari, Geetanjali Sonawane, Aruna Sonawane, Savita Kamble and Anita Kumbhar, along with several citizens, participated in the protest.