Thousands of Congress workers staged a protest in Ferozepur on Monday, demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission and the revision of electoral rolls. The demonstration was led by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, with protesters also burning effigies of Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing the protesters, Warring accused Kumar of having “subverted and sabotaged” the electoral process. He claimed that 13.8 crore voters had been disenfranchised through deletions from electoral rolls. These allegations were made by Warring and are not independently established by the material provided.

Warring also referred to electoral outcomes in Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana, saying they were contrary to what he described as ground realities and public perception. He further alleged that the Election Commission was working in collusion with the BJP and RSS and that voter names were being removed based on political considerations. The claims formed part of the Congress' broader objections to the electoral-roll revision process.

Also Read: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Visits Bhutan To Promote Democracy And Poll Management

The protest comes amid a wider Congress campaign against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Congress workers have held demonstrations in several states in recent days, demanding Kumar's resignation and raising concerns over electoral-roll revisions. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that SIR-related orders were issued with the approval of all three Election Commissioners.

In Punjab, Warring also claimed that 20 lakh names had been deleted from electoral rolls and warned party workers to remain alert over further deletions. He additionally criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state, accusing it of encouraging what he described as the criminalisation of politics. He alleged that the AAP and BJP were politically aligned on several issues and raised separate concerns over governance in Punjab.

Warring further criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleging that both were encouraging gangster culture in the state. He also questioned the allocation of ministerial bungalows to people from outside Punjab. These remarks were part of the Punjab Congress leader's broader criticism of the state government during the protest.

Also Read: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Pays Tribute At Sabarmati Ashram On Gujarat Visit