The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed a resolution seeking an independent inquiry into alleged electoral irregularities and the functioning of the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The resolution, moved by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on the second day of the six-day special Assembly session, was passed by voice vote. Legislators belonging to the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP were absent during the vote, while two rebel Akali MLAs, a BSP legislator and an Independent MLA were present.
The special session, which began on Thursday, is scheduled to continue until October 27.
๐๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ
Expressing concern over allegations that eligible citizens were being deprived of their voting rights, the Assembly called for an independent, impartial and credible mechanism to investigate alleged irregularities in electoral processes and voter lists.
"This House firmly reiterates that every eligible citizen's vote is precious in a democracy. Illegally depriving any citizen of the right to vote goes against the fundamental values of constitutional democracy," the resolution stated.
It demanded an inquiry into alleged irregularities concerning electoral rolls under CEC Gyanesh Kumar so that the facts could be established and accountability fixed.
The resolution also called for criminal proceedings under the law if concrete evidence of criminal violations emerged against any individual during the investigation.
Invoking B R Ambedkar's contribution to constitutional democracy, the resolution accused the CEC of undermining citizens' voting rights.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Participating in the discussion, Mann accused the BJP of engaging in alleged vote manipulation and claimed that the names of 14 crore voters had been deleted from electoral rolls across the country under the guise of SIR.
He alleged that voters favouring the BJP were being added to electoral rolls while those supporting opposition parties were being removed. These allegations were not independently substantiated in the material provided.
Mann further alleged that elections in Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana and Maharashtra had been won through "vote chori".
"Whenever any opposition party raises questions over the functioning of EVMs, the BJP comes out in support of the system. Now they are supporting CEC Gyanesh Kumar. It means they know that Gyanesh Kumar helped them win (elections). This is dangerous for democracy," Mann said.
He accused the BJP-led government of attempting to determine who could exercise the franchise and urged citizens to defend constitutional rights.
"The right to vote is not a favour bestowed by any government. It is the foundation for democratic participation, and no eligible citizen should face unnecessary hardships or arbitrary exclusion while establishing their eligibility," the chief minister said.
๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐
Moving the resolution, Finance Minister Cheema accused the BJP of depriving poor citizens of their voting rights and alleged that the party had come to power in Delhi through electoral manipulation.
He said the ongoing electoral roll revision exercise had raised serious questions about the integrity of elections in different parts of the country.
"Public confidence in democratic institutions can be maintained only by ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded and every citizen's voting right remains protected," Cheema said.
The resolution emphasised that protecting voting rights and ensuring the accountability of electoral institutions were essential for maintaining public confidence in the electoral process.
๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Akali Dal Waris Punjab De leader Manpreet Singh Ayali supported the resolution, alleging that the SIR exercise was controversial and that voter deletions were benefiting the BJP.
Demanding an independent investigation, Ayali also called for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
He accused the Election Commission of failing to register Waris Punjab De and allot it an election symbol.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann demanded that elections be conducted exclusively through ballot papers.
The resolution was passed amid continuing political disagreements over electoral roll revisions and allegations of voter exclusion, with the Punjab government seeking an independent examination of the issues raised.