Andhra Pradesh parties demand resignation of India’s chief election commissioner

Participants at a Congress-led meeting accused the Election Commission of wrongdoing in voter-roll revisions. The claims are political allegations and have not been presented as established facts.

Y.S. Sharmila, president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, led an all-party meeting in Vijayawada on Friday. Participants demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for a nationwide campaign to protect voting rights.

Speakers accused the Election Commission of India of deleting voter entries and making improper changes to Forms 6 and 7. Those claims were made by meeting participants from the Congress, CPI and CPI(M). The report did not provide independent evidence for the allegations.

Sharmila alleged that the commission was acting under the influence of the BJP-led central government. Former minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao called for an inquiry into decisions taken under Kumar. CPI(M) leader V. Srinivasa Rao said electoral-roll revisions were necessary but deleting eligible voters’ names was unacceptable.

Participants also criticized the 2023 law on appointing election commissioners and called for electronic voting machines to be replaced by paper ballots. The Hindu report describes the participants’ demands and allegations but does not include a response from the Election Commission or government.