Congress launches nationwide campaign demanding removal of Chief Election Commissioner and electoral reforms

NEW DELHI — The Congress party has launched a nationwide agitation demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and calling for structural reforms to ensure transparency in the country’s electoral process.

Announcing the campaign details in Alappuzha, Kerala, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal stated on Sunday that the party’s protests would persist until the Chief Election Commissioner is removed and the electoral system is rendered fair and impartial. As part of this push, the party has planned a month-and-a-half-long grassroots mobilization campaign titled ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ at the panchayat level.

Under the newly announced initiative, the party will deploy a designated ‘Vote Rakshak’ at every polling booth across the country. According to party leadership, these volunteers will inspect voter lists and assist citizens in restoring names that have been deleted from the rolls.

Venugopal alleged that arbitrary omissions from voter lists threaten to disenfranchise impoverished citizens, depriving them not only of their fundamental voting rights but also of access to vital welfare benefits tied to official rolls.

The latest street-level agitation follows a central rally organized by the opposition party in New Delhi on November 1. Congress leaders have indicated that the campaign will extend into the upcoming session of Parliament, where the party intends to press the issue vigorously. Venugopal also asserted that intense opposition protests during the previous parliamentary session effectively barred Union Home Minister Amit Shah from entering the House for approximately two weeks.