Thane: Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, reportedly raised objections 14 times over decisions taken by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding changes to provisions in forms for new voter registration, including the SIR process. Alleging that Gyanesh Kumar adopted an “autocratic” approach despite these objections, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) staged a symbolic parade in Thane, in which a person dressed as Gyanesh Kumar was made to sit on a donkey.

The protest was held in the presence of NCP-SP National General Secretary Dr. Jitendra Awhad and under the leadership of Thane district president Manoj Pradhan. Meanwhile, two individuals dressed as Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi were seated on horses and were felicitated for their alleged efforts to “protect democracy.”

According to a major revelation reported by the media on September 23, all was reportedly not well within the Election Commission over the previous 10 months. Of the three members of the Commission, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reportedly recorded written objections and expressed strong disagreement with decisions taken by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on 14 occasions.

Following the revelation, political activity intensified, with the NCP-SP taking an aggressive stance against Gyanesh Kumar.

On Monday afternoon, a march was taken out from the NCP-SP office to the Thane Municipal Corporation headquarters. During the march, a person dressed as Gyanesh Kumar was seated on a donkey as part of the symbolic protest. A placard reading, “Ek Tadipaar Chand Par... Gyanesh Kumar Gadhe Par” was hung around the donkey’s neck.

On the other hand, two people dressed as Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi rode horses. Dr. Jitendra Awhad and Manoj Pradhan garlanded them, describing their actions as efforts to protect democracy.

During the protest, party workers raised several slogans, including “Remove Gyanesh, Save the Election Commission,” “Arrest Gyanesh Kumar,” “Stop the Murder of Democracy,” “Vote Thief, Leave the Chair,” “Put Gyanesh Kumar in Jail,” “ECI is a Vote Thief, a Murderer of Democracy,” “Ek Tadipaar Chand Par, Gyanesh Kumar Gadhe Par,” and “Remove SIR, Save the Country.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Awhad said that under the Constitution, all three Election Commission officials have been given equal powers. He argued that if two officials take one position on a decision, the majority view should be accepted.

Awhad said that Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised 14 objections and claimed that, in view of these objections, decisions should have been taken by a 2:1 majority. He alleged that this did not happen.

He further alleged that when two Election Commissioners were raising concerns about alleged server hacking, irregularities in electoral rolls and discrepancies in voter lists, the matter should have been addressed immediately. He questioned how decisions about who should be a voter in villages of Nandurbar were being made by people sitting in Delhi.

Awhad also claimed that, just as names were deleted during the SIR exercise in West Bengal, around two crore names had been deleted in Maharashtra as well. He alleged that Gyanesh Kumar had attempted to violate the Constitution by changing Form 6, used for new voter registration, without parliamentary approval.

“We may sacrifice our lives one day, but we will not allow the Constitution to be violated,” Awhad said.

Awhad demanded that the 14 objections raised by Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi be accepted, immediate reforms be undertaken, and Gyanesh Kumar be removed from office.

District president Manoj Pradhan said that the Election Commission should remain free from the influence of any political party. He said greater transparency in the appointment process and institutional autonomy were necessary to restore public confidence in the functioning of the Election Commission.

Pradhan questioned why changes were made to Form 6 for new voter registration and why information about the changes was not provided to ordinary citizens and concerned stakeholders.

He said the country’s youth were facing problems related to unemployment, inflation, healthcare and education, and claimed that the ruling establishment would have to face opposition from young people.

He further alleged that an attempt to affect the voting rights of young people had been initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with the help of Gyanesh Kumar. He demanded that the process of registering new voters be made easier and more transparent and that Gyanesh Kumar be removed from office immediately.

Opposition Leader Shano Pathan, women’s president Manisha Bhagat, youth president and group leader Abhijit Pawar, Mumbra-Kalwa president Shamim Khan, Mumbra representatives and several other party workers participated in the protest.