New Delhi : The INDIA bloc march against the Chief Election Commissioner has got a fillip with the Biju Janata Dal also committing its support to the march. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday announced that its members will participate in the opposition parties’ protest march today over the alleged arbitrary actions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of the names of more than 13 crore voters across the country.
As directed by BJD Supremo and Leader of the Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, the party’s Members of Parliament will participate in the protest march. BJD Parliamentary Party Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Manas Mangaraj, informed the media about the party’s decision. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav left Lucknow to join the INDIA bloc protest march.
CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar said the SC observations on the modified Form 6 has also boosted the opposition moral ahead of the march. "We will start our march by 10:30 am from Makar Dwar to Chief Election Commissioner's office. Then, almost all MPs who belong to INDIA bloc will join. Some other prominent leaders are also expected to join. It will intensify the ongoing agitation. Yesterday, Supreme Court made certain valid observations. So this has completely changed the atmosphere. So the opposition is more charged now. All prominent leaders from our side will there and this will be a historic march. Gyanesh Kumar will have to go, no doubt at all," he said.
Security has also been tightened outside the Election Commission of India office, ahead of the INDIA bloc MPs' protest march from Makar Dwar. Opposition leaders and MPs are set to march towards Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of the Election Commission of India (ECI), in the national capital on Tuesday morning, as part of their ongoing protest over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and their demand for the sacking of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.The march comes amid the Opposition's sustained campaign against alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and its demand for greater transparency from the poll panel.
Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties will participate in the march and raise their concerns before the Election Commission (EC). The protest is part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC.The march to Nirvachan Sadan is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over electoral roll-related issues.