CJP says nationwide protest on October 2 if Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rescheduled two Electoral Literacy Club (ELC) regional conferences in Uttar Pradesh, which Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was set to preside over, officials announced on Friday. The outreach program was initially planned for Meerut on Friday, featuring a discussion with young voters, followed by an identical event aimed at Gen-Z participants in Varanasi on September 28 (Monday).

According to an ECI official, the postponement was not associated with the ongoing controversy, and the decision was communicated to officials on September 21. The official explained that adjustments in event dates are a continuous process influenced by factors such as venue availability, schedules of higher authorities, and natural occurrences.

This decision to postpone the conferences unfolds amid a controversy involving Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who formally protested at least 14 times over the past ten months against decisions and orders from the Election Commission, including alterations to voter registration and the electoral process.

Despite this, the ECI maintains that all decisions were made unanimously. The ECI has previously rescheduled or canceled similar ELC conferences in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand. Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) are voter-education programs run by the ECI in educational institutions to familiarize young and first-time voters with the electoral process, encompassing registration, polling, counting, and the Commission's constitutional responsibilities.

The current phase, designated as ELC 2.0, involves regional conferences held state-by-state and is part of the Commission's broader outreach efforts leading up to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.