Neha calls for larger unity to defend voting rights

Kolkata: AISA national president Neha Bora on Tuesday said they were trying to forge a larger unity across party lines, besides INDIA bloc constituents, to take on the BJP-led govt at Centre over the “severe threat” of ordinary citizens’ voting rights being deleted through SIR.Announcing that she, along with others, would join Cockroach Janta Party’s Jantar Mantar protest on Oct 10 to press for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Bora appealed to all political organisations, common people and civil society members to show up in maximum numbers on that day.“There is widespread anger among people regarding Gyanesh Kumar’s involvement in this entire issue of vote theft, and everyone is consolidating over this anger. It is necessary that not only INDIA bloc puts in its full strength, but all political forces understand the urgency of this issue. It is a very serious matter that in a country calling itself a democracy, voting rights of common people are being deleted,” she said.Speaking at a news conference in the city, Bora alleged that Election Commission, which should be the vanguard of democracy, misused its public office by being partisan towards a particular political party.“If we strongly fight and win this issue concerning EC, the biggest blow will fall on the current govt, which forms govts in various states with a stolen mandate. The upcoming fight will have to be by consolidating people from every section… We are ready to repeatedly confront the police and govt for our voting rights and take all risks,” she added.CPI(ML) Liberation national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said: “The elections conducted after stealing those voting rights are a mockery. Therefore, a nationwide demand has now arisen to scrap SIR, for Gyanesh Kumar to resign, and to repeal the 2023 law that installed someone like him as CEC, granting him lifelong immunity to do dirty work.”You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in KolkataStay updated with the latest Kolkata news. Download the TOI App.