The allegations follow an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months concerning decisions and orders linked to SIR. The report said the commissioners had raised concerns about certain decisions being taken without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and said its orders carry legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
Kharge also accused the Modi government of attempting to disenfranchise voters and referred to the Congress’s campaign against alleged “vote chori”. He said the party would take up the issue “from the streets to Parliament”.
With Assembly elections due in five states, Kharge said ensuring that eligible voters are not deprived of their voting rights was particularly important.
He also invoked the Constituent Assembly debates and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s decision in 1988 to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, contrasting it with what he alleged were recent changes affecting voter enrolment.
The CWC meeting was attended by former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, and senior leaders including P Chidambaram and Sachin Pilot.
Congress chief ministers from Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh also attended the meeting.
The meeting comes amid protests by Congress and other opposition parties against the Election Commission over SIR and alleged irregularities in electoral-roll management.
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