The Keralam Assembly on Monday passed a resolution seeking the removal of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing concerns over alleged SIR irregularities and the poll panel’s impartiality.
Chief minister V.D. Satheesan moved the resolution under Rule 118, which allows a minister to introduce a resolution relating to a matter of general public interest. The Congress-led UDF has 102 MLAs in the 140-member Assembly. The Opposition LDF, which has 35 members, supported the resolution while three BJP MLAs voted against it.
“Keralam makes history. For the first time, the Keralam Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. The integrity of our electoral process is non-negotiable. Serious concerns over voter roll revisions, the disenfranchisement of eligible voters, and the impartiality of the Election Commission cannot be ignored,” Satheesan posted
on X.
The resolution called for the urgent restoration of voting rights to all eligible voters who were excluded from the electoral rolls, the initiation of proceedings to remove Gyanesh and the reconstitution of the appointing committee for the CEC and other election commissioners to include the Chief Justice
of India.
Black-flag protest
In Karnataka, members of the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India waved black flags at Union minister of state for railways and Jal Shakti V. Somanna, demanding the cancellation of the SIR and the dismissal of Gyanesh.
Somanna was in Shivamogga en route to the inauguration of a private textile
shop.