Agartala, October 1: The Tripura Pradesh Congress Seva Dal on Thursday organised a mass sit-in in Agartala demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the electoral process and weakening of democratic institutions.
Senior Congress leaders, including Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha and MLAs Sudip Roy Barman and Gopal Chandra Roy, participated in the demonstration along with party workers and supporters.
Addressing the protesters, Saha alleged that the democratic environment in Tripura had deteriorated since 2018 and accused ruling party workers of intimidating voters and obstructing them from exercising their franchise.
He further alleged that incidents of violence, booth capturing and fraudulent voting had affected elections in the state. According to Saha, such allegations related to elections ranging from panchayat and Autonomous District Council polls to Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress leader also criticised Chief Minister Manik Saha over his reported defence of the Election Commission, alleging that the state government had failed to address opposition concerns regarding the conduct of elections.
The party also raised questions over electoral rolls, alleging that names of eligible voters had been removed while names of ineligible persons were included. Congress leaders demanded an independent inquiry into the allegations and sought greater transparency in the preparation and revision of voter lists.
Saha also questioned the legal protections available to election officials, arguing that constitutional authorities should remain accountable for their actions. The Congress leaders called for mechanisms that would allow allegations of misuse of power or electoral irregularities to be independently examined.
The Congress leaders also raised issues beyond the electoral process, including law and order, unemployment, government employees' salary-related concerns and alleged corruption in various departments.
They alleged that unemployed youths seeking to raise their demands faced police action and claimed that opposition programmes were sometimes obstructed through administrative measures.
The Congress has been holding protests against the Election Commission in Tripura as part of a wider campaign demanding accountability from the poll panel. The party has also raised concerns over electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the commission.
The Election Commission of India currently lists Gyanesh Kumar as the Chief Election Commissioner; he assumed office in February 2025.
The Congress leaders at Thursday's demonstration said the party would continue its agitation over the issues until its concerns regarding electoral transparency and accountability were addressed.
