'He needs to resign now': Priyanka renews demand for CEC's ouster over 'political leanings'

Malappuram (Keralam): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday reiterated her demand for the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that he has political leanings and questioning how he could conduct fair elections.

Vadra was speaking to reporters while travelling as part of her constituency visit.

Asked about the allegation that Kumar had urged former Keralam Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket, the Congress MP termed it "completely illegal and unethical".


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She said the allegation showed that those at the highest levels of the election system and institutions responsible for conducting polls "have party leanings".

"Not only do they have party leanings, but they are actively propagating those parties. How can they conduct fair elections? This is just one in a series of things that this gentleman (the chief election commissioner) has done, which are completely illegal and unconstitutional. He needs to resign, and he needs to resign now," she said.

Asked whether the Congress intended to protest against the CEC, the Congress MP from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency said protests had already been held across the country over the issue.

"In every district we have had protests against him. In Delhi also there were protests," she said.

Vadra has been calling for the CEC's resignation and his criminal prosecution on charges of treason following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had flagged multiple issues, including deletion of names, in various states during the voter roll revision under SIR.

However, ECI officials have said the poll body was unanimous in its decisions relating to the pan-India Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

On Sunday, she interacted with traditional percussion artists at Porur and honey farmers at a farm in Kappil.

She was greeted with traditional drum beats and also tried her hand at playing the drums alongside the percussion artists.

After meeting the honey farmers and party workers, the Congress MP left for Kozhikode, from where she will take a flight to New Delhi, bringing her seven-day visit to her constituency to an end.