New Delhi, Oct 30: The INDIA bloc has postponed its proposed ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, scheduled for Friday, due to rainfall in the national capital, with the event now likely to be held on October 31, sources said.
The symbolic protest will be held a day before the opposition bloc’s rally at Ramlila Ground against Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, sources said.
The event was planned as a protest over alleged irregularities in the electoral process, with opposition parties accusing the Election Commission of facilitating “vote chori”.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc had met on Thursday to finalise the proceedings, which were scheduled to take place at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The venue was selected after the opposition failed to secure permission to hold the event at other locations, including the Constitution Club and Talkatora Stadium.
Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, senior Congress leader Meira Kumar, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, Samajwadi Party’s Harendra Malik, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Mahua Maji and CPI(M)’s John Brittas were among those who attended the preparatory meeting.
The Congress had on Tuesday claimed that it was denied permission to organise the ‘public impeachment’ and accused the government of attempting to silence the voice of ordinary people after “destroying” the electoral system.
The Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
