"Gyanesh Kumar deserves at least Padma Bhushan": BJPs Samik Bhattacharya backs CEC; says took initiative to remove infiltrators

Taking a sharp dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bhattacharya remarked that even leaders within the Congress do not take Gandhi's remarks seriously.

"The fact is, even the Congress party itself doesn't heed Rahul Gandhi's words; they don't take him seriously... Gyanesh Kumar deserves, at the very least, the Padma Bhushan," Bhattacharya said while speaking to reporters.

Lauding the conduct of elections and administrative measures in West Bengal, the BJP leader highlighted that voters were able to exercise their franchise without violence or fear.

"The people of West Bengal are delighted that, after so long, intimidation was kept at bay. There were no incidents of murder, and people were actually allowed to cast their votes. Furthermore, in a border state like this, Gyanesh Kumar took the initiative to remove the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators from the voter lists," he added.

Asserting that the public overwhelmingly appreciates the measures taken to curb electoral irregularities, Bhattacharya said, "The people of West Bengal have rarely witnessed an election like this. Therefore, the general public of West Bengal fully supports Gyanesh Kumar..."

Meanwhile, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) marched from Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar in the national capital, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, as Congress protests against the Election Commission intensified across several states.

In Patna, Bihar, police used water cannons to disperse Congress workers protesting against Gyanesh Kumar and demanding his resignation. Similar scenes were witnessed in Punjab, where police deployed water cannons as Congress workers staged a demonstration in Chandigarh. Some protesters climbed atop police vans during the protest.

Congress workers also staged demonstrations in several other states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.

In Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Congress leaders and workers staged a protest. outside the State Election Commission's office over the ongoing issues concerning the Election Commission. During the demonstration, protesters blackened the official board displayed outside the State Election Commission's office.

In Manipur, Congress workers led by PCC president Okram Ibobi Singh and Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh marched towards the Chief Electoral Office at Lamphelpat. Protesters demanded Kumar's arrest and prosecution and burnt an effigy of the CEC. The demonstration later turned tense, with protesters scuffling with police, following which tear gas shells were fired.

In Jammu, heavy police deployment was reported outside the Election Commission office, while Congress MLAs in Srinagar staged a protest inside the Legislative Assembly, carrying banners demanding Kumar's resignation. Demonstrations were also held in Lucknow, Guwahati and Kolkata.

The protest was part of the Congress' nationwide programme against the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The protests come amid a political row over the SIR exercise following an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months concerning decisions and procedures related to electoral rolls and database access. (ANI)