Left protests outside ECI headquarters, demands ouster of CEC
High drama unfolded outside Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of the Election Commission of India (ECI), as police detained dozens of Left Party cadres and senior leaders during a protest demonstration demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The demonstration, part of a week-long nationwide agitation called by Left parties, saw leaders and workers marching towards the gates of the ECI head office before being stopped and removed by security personnel. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemned the police action, alleging that brutal force was used against peaceful demonstrators and that women protesters were manhandled by male officers during the melee.
The agitation was led by top Left figures, including CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby, veteran leaders Brinda Karat and Subhashini Ali, and Polit Bureau members BV Raghavulu and R Arun Kumar, alongside Members of Parliament V Sivadasan and AA Rahim. Prominent representatives from other Left constituents, including CPI Delhi State Secretary Dinesh, CPI(ML) Central Committee member Sucheta De, RSP National Secretariat member Rajiv Dimri, Forward Bloc leader Dharmendra Verma, and CGPI leader Birju Naik, also participated in the march.
The Left alliance outlined a set of core demands during the agitation, calling for the immediate removal of the Chief Election Commissioner, an absolute halt to the ongoing SIR process, and the prompt re-inclusion of all genuine voters who were unjustly removed during the exercise. Furthermore, the leaders pressed for the rescinding of the 2023 law governing the appointment of the CEC and other Election Commissioners, demanding that future appointments strictly follow the guidelines established by the Supreme Court.
