Chandigarh, October 23: The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday adopted a resolution against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the state legislature formally urging President Droupadi Murmu to initiate criminal proceedings against the top election official, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via Desi Talk

The official Punjab government release on the same resolution said the House passed it unanimously. Moved by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the resolution called for constitutional safeguards to protect the voting rights of eligible citizens during the SIR process and urged the Union Government and the relevant constitutional authorities to ensure transparency, impartial scrutiny of electoral-roll discrepancies and accountability in the election process.

Source: Bright Punjab Express (Punjab govt release)

Speaking to ANI after the resolution was adopted, Cheema alleged that votes belonging to Opposition supporters are being systematically deleted through SIR. 'The Punjab Assembly has adopted a resolution against the Chief Election Commissioner of the country — that Gyanesh Kumar wants to end the democracy of this country at the behest of the BJP. Attempts are being made to finish off Opposition parties of the country one after the other,' he said. These are Cheema's allegations; they have not been established by any court or inquiry.

Source: ANI via Desi Talk

'Votes for the Opposition are being deleted through SIR… The BJP is attempting to snatch away the voting rights of the poor through Gyanesh Kumar. We have requested the President of the country to initiate criminal proceedings against Gyanesh Kumar,' Cheema told ANI.

Source: ANI via Desi Talk

Addressing the House, Cheema said protecting every eligible citizen's right to vote was essential to strengthening democracy, and cited Articles 324, 325 and 326 of the Constitution — which cover supervision of elections, bar discrimination in electoral rolls and guarantee universal adult suffrage. He paid tribute to Dr B. R. Ambedkar for laying the constitutional foundation of equal voting rights for every adult, the official release said.

Source: Bright Punjab Express (Punjab govt release)

The resolution lands in the middle of a wider national fight over SIR, in which the Aam Aadmi Party and other Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the Election Commission of arbitrary voter removals ahead of key electoral contests — accusations the poll body has faced in several states. No response from the Election Commission or the BJP specifically to the Punjab Assembly's resolution had been reported in the sources available at the time of publication; this story will be updated if one is issued.

Source: ANI via Desi Talk