Congress marches in Deoghar over SIR, demands resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Deoghar District Congress Committee staged a foot march on Monday to protest the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raise questions over the functioning and transparency of the Election Commission of India.

The march began at the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Tower Chowk and proceeded through Ambedkar Chowk to the Collectorate. District Congress president Rajendra Das led the protest.

Congress leaders demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for an independent inquiry into the allegations and concerns raised over his functioning. The party also sought a comprehensive review of major decisions taken during his tenure.

A major focus of the protest was the SIR exercise, particularly the process of adding, deleting and modifying names in electoral rolls. The Congress said the revision process must ensure that eligible voters are not left out and that people are given proper verification and an opportunity to file objections before changes are finalised.

The Election Commission itself provides mechanisms for voters to check their names, submit claims or objections and seek corrections in electoral rolls. Its voter services portal also currently provides facilities related to SIR, including searching names in previous SIR rolls and submitting documents against notices.

The Deoghar Congress unit also questioned the Election Commission’s IT infrastructure and data-management systems, particularly the centralisation of electoral data. It demanded an independent technical and institutional assessment of these systems, along with greater transparency over how electoral information is handled.

Citing an All India Congress Committee (AICC) circular, the party claimed that two Election Commissioners had formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions during the past 10 months over decisions concerning the Chief Election Commissioner. The Congress called for these claims to be independently examined.

The party submitted seven demands covering an independent scrutiny of the allegations, a review of key decisions, examination of the SIR process and electoral-roll changes, an assessment of the Election Commission’s IT systems, stronger transparency and accountability, and publication of investigation findings along with the action taken on them.

The protest is part of a wider Congress campaign over SIR and the Election Commission. The party had announced district-level protests across Jharkhand for September 28, including demonstrations at district headquarters.

The Election Commission has been conducting SIR in phases across states and Union territories. Its current 2026 schedule lists Jharkhand among the states where the SIR process is scheduled to proceed with October 1, 2026 as the qualifying date, a draft electoral roll on August 5 and the final roll on October 7.

The Congress's allegations and demands represent the party's position; any claims concerning specific irregularities in electoral-roll revisions or the Commission's decision-making would require examination against official records and responses from the Election Commission.