Congress Agitates for Removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Electoral Reforms – Nationwide ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ Campaign

The All India Congress Committee ( AICC ) has announced that its protests against the Chief Election Commissioner ( CEC ) Gyanesh Kumar will continue until he is removed and the electoral system is made impartial. Key Developments Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said the agitation will pause only briefly for the Deepavali festival. The party described the 1 November rally in New Delhi as one of the strongest protests in recent memory. Congress will launch a nationwide ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ (Save the Vote, Save the Nation) campaign at the panchayat level over the next six weeks. Each polling booth will have a volunteer called a Vote Rakshak to check the electoral rolls and help restore deleted names. The issue will be raised in the upcoming Parliament session, with the Opposition planning to highlight recent controversies. Important Facts Venugopal warned that deletion of names from the electoral rolls could strip poor citizens of voting rights and deny them access to welfare schemes that are increasingly linked to voter ID cards. He also claimed that during the previous parliamentary session, Union Home Minister Amit Shah could not enter the House for nearly two weeks because of Opposition protests. In Kerala, Venugopal defended the state administration, acknowledging isolated lapses but asserting that the government would act where necessary. He also addressed allegations linking Excise Minister M. Liju to bar owners, stating that former Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao should have raised corruption concerns while in office; the government has agreed to examine the complaint. UPSC Relevance The episode touches upon several GS2 (Polity) themes: the role and independence of the CEC , the functioning of the Election Commission, and the mechanisms for ensuring free and fair elections. It also illustrates how opposition parties use parliamentary privilege and mass mobilisation to demand institutional reforms, a key aspect of Indian political dynamics. Way Forward For the agitation to achieve its goals, Congress will need to sustain pressure both on the ground (through the Vote Rakshak network) and in the legislative arena. The Election Commission may consider a review of the name‑deletion process to restore public confidence. Aspirants should monitor how the issue evolves in the upcoming Parliament debates, as it will provide insight into the balance of power between the Executive, the Legislature, and independent constitutional bodies.