Four Left parties in Odisha call for removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and plan to hold a joint protest.

In the city of Bhubaneswar, four Left parties have come together to demand swift action in response to recent events surrounding the electoral process. In a joint statement, the CPI, CPI(M), CPI Liberation, and Forward Bloc have called for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the restoration of voting rights for individuals whose names were mistakenly excluded from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. These parties have also demanded an immediate halt to the SIR exercise, which has caused controversy and concern among citizens.

After holding a meeting on Friday, the Left parties have decided to organize protests across the state to raise awareness about these issues. Their demands come in light of a recent report by the Indian Express, which revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times in the last 10 months over decisions and orders that were made without their knowledge. This is especially concerning as the SIR exercise was under the supervision of the full commission.

The objections made by Sandhu and Joshi covered a range of issues, including the handling of voter lists and centralised control over the electoral roll database. The Left parties were taken aback by Gyanesh Kumar's unilateral decisions and believe that this report has exposed a lack of transparency in the conduct of the SIR exercise and management of the electoral rolls. They go on to state that this kind of system, where the right to vote is not transparent and is dependent on centralized processes, undermines public trust in the electoral system.

As a result, the Left parties across the country have called for their branches in different states to organize week-long protest programs from September 26 to October 2. It is clear that the Left parties are deeply concerned about the state of the electoral process and are taking necessary steps to address these issues. They believe that swift action must be taken to ensure fairness and transparency in the upcoming elections.

The Orissa POST, the state's leading English daily, will continue to provide updates on these developments.