CONGRESS CWC SETS OUT SIR CAMPAIGN, DEMANDS CEC’S REMOVAL AND PM’S RESIGNATION

September 29, 2026

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday discussed the party’s strategy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and intensified its demands concerning the Election Commission. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over what he alleged was pressure on the poll panel.

Kharge outlined demands for greater transparency in electoral-roll revisions, including making data on major changes publicly available and providing political parties with electoral rolls and related information in an accessible and timely manner. He also called for voters whose names are removed from the rolls to be informed and given an opportunity to appeal.

The Congress has based its criticism partly on reported objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi concerning aspects of the SIR process, including changes to Form 6, additions and deletions from electoral rolls and control over voter-data systems. These objections have been reported, while the Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion are part of institutional deliberations and that its SIR decisions have followed statutory procedures.

The party has also called for independent, time-bound inquiries wherever evidence of serious discrepancies in the electoral process emerges. With elections approaching in several states, Congress leaders indicated that the SIR issue would remain a major focus of their political and parliamentary campaign.

The developments come amid wider opposition coordination over the Election Commission and electoral-roll revision, with INDIA bloc parties expected to discuss a joint response to the issue.