AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal on Wednesday demanded the resigna tion of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying a na tional media report on objections raised by two Election Commission ers over the Special Intensive Revi sion proved Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was speaking the truth. Addressing Congress workers during the party’s ‘Goy Rakhonn Yatra’ at Cumbharjua, Venugopal alleged that the Election Commis sion’s handling of the SIR was un dermining the electoral process.
Referring to the reported objections by Election Com missioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over voter registration, deletion of names and access to elector al data, he said, “We have to protect our democracy. Today, we are shocked. The national media has come out with the big story which is related to Goa elections too.” Venugopal claimed that several voters were deleted during the SIR in Goa and alleged that when 38 residents complained to the State Election Office, it recommended reinstating their names, but the Election Commission of India did not allow it. “Gyanesh Kumar did not allow it.
This is an example of what the BJP is doing through the voters’ list,” he alleged. Venugopal further alleged that electoral rolls were con trolled by the EC’s IT department in Delhi and claimed that returning officers and State Election Officers did not have access to the lists. Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Kumar had conspired to “hijack the Indian election system”, Venugopal demanded, “Gyanesh Kumar should resign immediately to save the democracy of this country.”

