Kolkata, Sept. 29 -- A large rally of around 10,000 Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters marched from Sealdah to Esplanade on Tuesday, demanding restoration of the names of eligible voters allegedly deleted from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The rally was led by Bhangar MLA and ISF chairman Nawsad Siddiqui. Supporters from several districts joined the march, which culminated in a meeting at Esplanade. Following the rally, a delegation led by Siddiqui submitted a memorandum to the state Chief Electoral Officer, raising six demands related to the SIR process.
"We have mainly submitted a memorandum with six demands. Apart from the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and restoration of the voting rights of eligible voters, we have demanded a transparent and impartial process for resolving complaints related to additions, deletions and corrections in the electoral roll," Siddiqui said.
He also demanded an independent probe into allegations of irregularities, bias and administrative failures during the SIR process, equal opportunity for political parties, candidates and voters, and public disclosure of information related to the electoral rolls and appeals.
"Lakhs of people have been deprived of their voting rights, yet the CEO appears to be trying to evade responsibility. The margin with which BJP won in some constituencies is half of even lesser than the numbers of deleted voters. They have made a farce out of the election process." Siddiqui said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.