A Congress protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar disrupted traffic in central Kolkata on Monday as party workers marched towards Lok Bhavan over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The protesters gathered near Esplanade and marched from the Lalit Great Eastern Hotel towards Lok Bhavan, the governor’s residence, covering around one kilometre. Police deployed a large contingent along the route and erected barricades outside the premises to prevent the demonstrators from advancing further. The rally ended near the heavily guarded area.
The mobilisation caused major traffic congestion in the city, with commuters facing delays around the central business district. The Congress also held a sit-in demonstration outside Bidhan Bhavan, the headquarters of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, affecting vehicular movement along the busy CIT Road.
Congress workers raised slogans demanding Kumar’s resignation and accused the Election Commission of undermining the democratic process through alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. The allegations are political claims made by the party and were not independently established in the report.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhankar Sarkar said the party would intensify its agitation until Kumar stepped down. The Congress has argued that the allegations surrounding the SIR exercise require accountability from the Election Commission and action against those responsible.
The protest followed opposition demands for the CEC’s resignation after a report by The Indian Express highlighted disagreements within the Election Commission over aspects of the electoral-roll revision exercise. According to that report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions during the preceding 10 months, largely over decisions and orders connected with the SIR process.
The disclosures have drawn renewed attention to internal differences within the poll panel and the conduct of the electoral-roll revision. In Kolkata, the dispute has now translated into repeated street mobilisations, requiring police barricading and affecting movement through some of the city’s busiest corridors.
The Congress said its campaign would continue until its demand for action against the Chief Election Commissioner was addressed. The protests come after a large rally by the SFI and other Left Front student organisations in the city on the previous day, which also disrupted movement around Esplanade.
