Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 12: Calling it a historic moment for Kerala, chief minister V D Satheesan on Monday said the state Assembly had passed a resolution seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, restoration of voting rights to eligible citizens excluded from electoral rolls and reforms to the process of appointing Election Commissioners.

“Keralam makes history. For the first time, the Keralam Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner,” Satheesan said in a social media post.

The resolution, moved by Satheesan in the Assembly, received the support of legislators from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), while the BJP’s three MLAs opposed it.

The 140-member Assembly comprises 102 UDF legislators, 35 members of the LDF and three BJP MLAs.

The resolution raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the exclusion of eligible voters and questions surrounding the impartiality of the Election Commission. It called for corrective measures to ensure that no eligible citizen was denied the right to vote.

Satheesan said the resolution placed three key demands before the authorities. These included addressing irregularities in the SIR process, restoring voting rights to eligible voters who had been wrongfully excluded, and initiating proceedings to remove the Chief Election Commissioner.

The resolution also proposed reforms to the committee responsible for selecting Election Commissioners. It called for a selection panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India, with the stated objective of strengthening the independence and credibility of the Election Commission.

“The integrity of our electoral process is non-negotiable,” Satheesan said, asserting that concerns over voter roll revisions, the disenfranchisement of eligible voters and the impartiality of the poll panel could not be ignored.

“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. No institution can be allowed to undermine the constitutional rights of our citizens,” he said.

Reiterating the government's stand, Satheesan said the right to vote must be protected and the Constitution upheld.

The passage of the resolution has brought the Election Commission's role in electoral roll revision and the appointment of its top officials to the centre of a major political and constitutional debate in Kerala.

The resolution also reflected a united stand by the UDF and LDF legislators on the issue, despite their political differences, while the BJP members voted against it.

Soon after the resolution was passed, BJP supporters staged a protest outside the Assembly complex and burnt a copy of the resolution.