Nagaland Congress Demands Election Commissioner Resign Over Voter Roll Purge

Kohima: Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee members hit the streets in Dimapur on October 3. They marched from Congress Bhavan to the Town Hall to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters burnt an effigy of Kumar to signal their anger. They say the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls violates basic constitutional rights.

Apok Jamir, the NPCC working president, claims the exercise purged over 13 crore names from the rolls. He argues that this mass removal strikes at the heart of the democratic process. Ordinary people lose their voice when they disappear from these lists. Jamir made his stance clear during the event. "If his conscience permits and he agrees that he has committed a crime against the people, then he should resign immediately," Jamir said.

The Congress party maintains that this is part of a broader campaign against the Election Commission. They want accountability for the lost voters. Beyond the roll revision, Jamir took a shot at local politics. He accused elected legislators and councillors of switching parties due to coercion, pressure, or cash inducements. He calls this political poaching. The party expects voters to hold these representatives responsible at the ballot box.