Congress Protests Across UP Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over SIR Electoral Roll Allegations

Congress activists launched protests in Uttar Pradesh on Monday to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation following allegations of irregularities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Outside Kumar's ancestral home in Vijay Nagar, Agra, workers smeared black paint on the gate and wall, spray-painted slogans, and accused him of being a "traitor" and a "vote thief".

The incident marked a part of the Congress's nationwide opposition to the Election Commission over claims of deletion of genuine voters' names. Hundreds of Congress workers, led by district president Mukesh Dhangar and state organisation general secretary Anil Yadav, protested in Agra. Dhangar alleged that votes had been "stolen" in Mathura to secure the victory of BJP MP Hema Malini, while Yadav demanded Kumar's arrest, citing the deletion of eligible voters as a threat to democratic rights.

Police registered a case in Hariparvat police station after identifying protesters through CCTV footage and arrested Dhangar and Yadav as they attempted to leave for Delhi. The protests extended to other regions, including Lucknow, Varanasi, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur, and Ghaziabad, where Congress workers clashed with police, some were detained, and similar incidents occurred on previous days.

The Congress has accused the Election Commission of electoral malpractices and demanded Kumar's removal, all while accusing the commission of manipulating electoral rolls.