CPI(M) Rejects Election Commission's Statement on Electoral Rolls, Demands Chief Election Commissioner's Resignation

The CPI(M) on Sunday rejected the Election Commission's September 26 statement on its functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying it failed to address serious questions raised by recent disclosures and reiterating its demand for the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In a statement, the CPI(M) Politburo said concerns raised by opposition parties and civil society organisations over the SIR process had been reinforced by disclosures of objections raised within the Election Commission itself. "The Election Commission of India's (ECI) statement issued on September 26 does not address the serious questions raised by disclosures about the Commission's functioning and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls," the Politburo said. The party referred to a September 23 report by The Indian Express which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly raised concerns over the enrolment of new voters, deletion of names, centralised access to the electoral database and changes to electoral procedures, including what the CPI(M) described as illegal changes to Form 6.