Bhubaneswar: People Against Odisha on Tuesday announced plan to hold protest across the state on October 23 demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and restoration of voting rights to all eligible citizens.
The platform’s Odisha chapter said that the protest will be held as part of the nationwide programme planned to press for the demand for scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In response to a nationwide call, the Odisha chapter of SIR announced a series of statewide protests, public meetings, processions, and demonstrations scheduled for October 23.
A state-level preparatory meeting held on Tuesday at the Lohia Academy in Bhubaneswar as part of efforts to expand the movement to the grassroots level across the state and mobilise public opinion to safeguard democratic rights.
The meeting was attended by senior leaders from various political parties, as well as representatives of workers, farmers, agricultural labourers, women, students, and youth. Social activists, members of civil society, and intellectuals also participated in the discussions.
Speakers highlighted the need for a broad-based public movement to ensure equal rights for all citizens within the electoral process and to uphold the impartiality, independence, and autonomy of the Election Commission.
The agitation will be intensified with a four-point demand, including resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, scrapping of SIR, inclusion of all voters whose names were removed from the list, regular revision of electoral roll as was previously the practice.
The platform also demanded that the law concerning the appointment of Election Commissioners be repealed, and the independence and autonomy of the Election Commission ensured. It also sought comprehensive electoral reforms, including the implementation of a system of proportional representation, curbing the influence of ‘money power’ and ‘muscle power’ in elections, and prioritizing the provision of public funding (state funding) for elections.
Processions, public meetings, and demonstrations will be organised across the state, including Bhubaneswar as well as at various district headquarters, major towns, and block headquarters on October 23.
In Bhubaneswar, this protest event will take place along Mahatma Gandhi Marg (stretching from Master Canteen Square to Lower PMG) between 5 pm and 8 pm.
During the meeting, an appeal was made for the active participation of all like-minded political parties, various public organisations, youth and students, artists, writers, litterateurs, musicians, cultural activists, intellectuals, representatives of civil society, and all citizens who cherish democracy, in order to transform this movement into a broad-based, democratic mass movement.
The preparatory meeting was presided over by veteran CPI(M) leader Janardan Pati, Professor Amiya Kumar Mohanty, and Mahendra Parida.