Indian Youth Congress stages protest against Election Commission in Delhi

Wearing masks bearing the faces of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Youth Congress on Friday staged a protest against the Election Commission, demanding greater accountability and transparency in the electoral process and rolls

The protesters marched from the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) office on Raisina Road and were moving towards Jantar Mantar. They raised slogans and carried posters and banners demanding accountability from Kumar

IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib led the demonstration, with the youth wing announcing plans to gherao the Election Commission office

Chib said the Election Commission was responsible for protecting the sanctity of every vote and that the country deserved answers and accountability when questions were being raised within the poll panel over decisions concerning electoral rolls

Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed along the route, with barricades erected and detention buses stationed near the IYC office on Raisina Road

The demonstration came days after the IYC launched an online petition demanding Kumar's removal, following an investigation by The Indian Express about objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over decisions related to electoral rolls

The petition, titled "Gyanesh, It's Done Bro", also calls for Kumar's arrest and prosecution, a comprehensive probe into the alleged irregularities in the electoral processes and public disclosure of electoral records and internal objections raised within the poll panel

Chib said the protest intended to bring the issue of electoral transparency and accountability beyond the Congress' political campaign and into public discourse

The IYC said its online campaign was aimed at mobilising citizens, particularly young people, around what it described as concerns over transparency and accountability in the functioning of the poll panel