Jairam Ramesh Attacks Gyanesh Kumar Over Bengal Voter Enrollment
Ramesh shared the purported official document, alleging that the ECI's recent actions were a continuation of irregularities during the state Assembly elections
New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of "shamelessness" following the release of a press note by the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer regarding voter enrolment.
In a post on the social media platform X, Ramesh shared the purported official document, alleging that the ECI's recent actions were a continuation of irregularities during the state Assembly elections.
"After having delivered the assembly election to the BJP in a brazenly fraudulent manner, the CEC has had this Press Note issued," Ramesh wrote. "There is no limit to Gyanesh Kumar's shamelessness."
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, issued a press note on October 12, stating that, "As per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, 24 District Election Officers (DEOs) of the state of West Bengal have started a proactive campaign to ensure that no eligible elector is left out of the electoral rolls."
The note further mentioned that "special camps are being held throughout the state" and that "if any person has any complaint, please feel free to contact the concerned BLO, AERO, ERO, or DEO."
The Congress leader's remarks signal a deepening rift between the opposition INDIA bloc and the ECI, with the party frequently alleging bias and administrative failures in the conduct of recent elections.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Registry on Tuesday flagged 14 defects in the writ petition filed by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and nine other INDIA bloc leaders challenging aspects of the Election Commission of India's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Registry has also sought clarification from the petitioners on why Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and two Election Commissioners, S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, have been arrayed as respondents in the writ petition.
The objection has been raised in the context of the petition being filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.
The petitioners have approached the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the exercise of the Election Commission's powers during the SIR. Among other reliefs, they have sought an examination of the manner in which the poll panel took and implemented decisions relating to the electoral-roll revision.
In its objections notified on October 12, the Registry also asked the petitioners to correct the respondent's name in the listing proforma, rectify the details of respondents on page 9 and provide the correct respondent number in the prayer.
The petition, filed on October 12, invokes Article 32 and raises several concerns, including the collective functioning of the Election Commission in relation to the SIR, modifications to Form 6, the functioning of ECINET and ERONET, and the process through which electors were marked for deletion or restoration.
The petition was filed after the Chief Justice of India's written communication of October 11 indicated that matters raising similar issues were listed for hearing on October 13. The communication also stated that the petitioners could file their plea on October 12, either physically or through e-filing.
