At a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi on Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign on moral grounds for allegedly “pressuring” the poll panel chief.
Kharge outlined five major demands. He urged that all data on changes to electoral rolls be made public, that voters whose names had been deleted be given an opportunity to appeal, and that all political parties receive electoral rolls in a simple format in a timely manner. He also called for an independent, time‑bound probe where serious anomalies are found and for a transparent poll process so no one feels that information is being hidden.
The congress chief said the two election commissioners had described the CEC’s actions as “arbitrary and unreasonable” and that the nation now knows the CEC has been helping the ruling party. He argued that in such a situation the CEC should be removed immediately.
Kharge added that the prime minister should resign for “pressuring” the CEC and pledged that the party would take the issue to the streets and raise it in Parliament. He emphasized that transparency and impartiality in the electoral process are essential, that institutions must remain independent, and that every Indian’s vote must be protected.
He thanked Congress workers and leaders for supporting Rahul Gandhi, who had raised the irregularities and highlighted the CEC’s role in “supporting” the BJP.
