Thiruvananthapuram: Calling it a historic moment for Kerala, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Monday said the state Assembly had passed a resolution seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding the restoration of voting rights to eligible citizens excluded from electoral rolls and proposing changes to the selection process for Election Commissioners.
“Keralam makes history. For the first time, the Keralam Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner,” CM Satheesan said in a social media post.
The resolution, moved by CM Satheesan in the Assembly, received the support of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) legislators, while the BJP’s three MLAs opposed it.
The 140-member Assembly has 102 members belonging to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), 35 from the CPI(M)-led LDF and three from the BJP.
The resolution raises concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the exclusion of eligible voters and the impartiality of the Election Commission.
It calls for corrective measures to ensure that no eligible citizen is denied the right to vote.
CM Satheesan said the resolution placed three demands before the authorities.
These included addressing irregularities in the SIR process, restoring the voting rights of eligible voters who had been wrongfully excluded, initiating proceedings to remove the Chief Election Commissioner and reforming the committee responsible for selecting election commissioners.
The proposed selection panel would comprise the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India, with the stated objective of strengthening the independence and credibility of the Election Commission.
“The integrity of our electoral process is non-negotiable,” CM Satheesan said, asserting that concerns over voter roll revisions, the disenfranchisement of eligible voters and the impartiality of the poll panel could not be ignored.
“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. No institution can be allowed to undermine the constitutional rights of our citizens,” he said.
Reiterating the government’s position, CM Satheesan said the right to vote must be protected, and the Constitution upheld.
The resolution places the Election Commission’s role in electoral roll revision and the appointment of its top officials at the centre of a major political and constitutional debate in Kerala.
Its passage reflects the united stand taken by the UDF and LDF legislators on the issue, despite their political differences, with the BJP members voting against it.
Soon after the resolution was passed, protesting BJP supporters burnt a copy of the resolution outside the Assembly complex.
(IANS)
