'Resign, halt polls, repeal 2023 law': CJP's 3 demands from EC amid dissent row; Dipke warns of protest

Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the CJP, has warned that the group will launch a protest if Kumar does not tender his resignation within 48 hours.

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The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has put forth three key demands amid the ongoing row with the Election Commission of India. In a press conference on Thursday, the national pressure group called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a key demand.

Along with this, the group has also called for a freeze on the ongoing special intensive revision SIR exercise, and a halt on all upcoming polls.

Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the CJP, has also warned that the group will launch a protest if Kumar does not tender his resignation within 48 hours.

"Jantar Mantar 2.0 will definitely happen if CEC Gyanesh Kumar doesn't resign," Dipke said during the press conference.

What is the row?

On Wednesday, an investigative report from The Indian Express newspaper stated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections to decisions taken in the commission’s name at least 14 times over 10 months.

Four such objections were made on the same day, the report said. The IE report added that these disagreements involved changes to Form 6, centralisation of the ERONet system, voter deletion appeals and more.

Sandhu and Joshi also separately wrote to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan regarding changes to the EC's IT work, the report noted. The commissioners were concerned that the changes could reduce oversight of the systems used to manage voter lists.

EC's clarification

In a clarification to the report, the Election Commission stated that all decisions it has taken were unanimous in nature.

“All decisions of the Election Commission of India, including SIR, have been unanimous and with the approval of both the Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner,” the statement to HT read.

Also Read | 'Valid issues raised in report': Ex-Election Commissioner who once dissented with ECI | Exclusive

“Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. They are a part of the decision-making process before a final decision is taken. Not only the three commissioners, but every officer of the commission is fully authorized to give his suggestions to the commission for improving the electoral system,” said a press note from the poll body.

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