DMK calls for CEC removal and backs student protests, slams Congress and TVK
DMK MPs led by MK Stalin adopted resolutions demanding the ouster of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, supporting student protests and accusing Congress and TVK of double standards.
At a Saturday session in the Murasoli Maran Meeting Hall, DMK MPs chaired by party president MK Stalin approved four resolutions and three demands related to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The primary resolution seeks the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged misconduct, while a second backs student organisations protesting the CEC and the SIR process. A third resolution criticises the Indian National Congress and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam for what the party calls "double standards" in their stance on the SIR, and a fourth urges filing a petition with the President of India for corrective measures.
The accompanying demands call for a full cancellation of the SIR, a return to ballot-paper voting instead of electronic machines, and an inquiry into the CEC’s conduct. The DMK highlighted earlier opposition to the SIR, noting MK Stalin’s participation in a voter-rights yatra in Bihar and alleging that the exercise benefits the BJP, claiming the party is among the most vocal opponents nationwide.
Why it matters
The resolutions signal heightened political challenges to India's election authority ahead of future polls.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report DMK leader MK Stalin demanding the CEC's removal, supporting student protests against the SIR, and criticizing Congress for double standards, with centrist coverage also noting alliance troubles in Bihar and Jharkhand.
LEFT
Left-leaning coverage frames the story as DMK calling for the chief election commissioner’s removal, backing student protests, and slamming Congress and TVK for double standards.
CENTER
Centrist coverage frames the story as Stalin attacking Congress over double standards while also highlighting broader alliance issues in Bihar and Jharkhand alongside the demand to remove the chief election commissioner.
The left emphasises
- removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
- support for student organisations protesting the SIR
- criticism of Congress and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam for "double standards"
How this story developed
- Oct 8 Protests swell as India’s election commission faces allegations over voter-roll purge
- Oct 10 Authorities detained over 1,000 activists and arrested more than 600 people with criminal histories.
- Oct 11 Delhi imposed wide‑scale traffic diversions around key intersections as the protest entered its second day.
- Oct 11 CJP leaders were released after posting a ₹50,000 surety bond.
- Oct 12 Chief Justice Surya Kant declined a direct meeting and said any petition filed on Monday will be considered on Tuesday.
- Oct 12 Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc will march to the Supreme Court at 4 p.m. local time to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Oct 12 Authorities shut six metro stations and deployed thousands of security personnel for a third consecutive day.
- Oct 13 The Supreme Court flagged fourteen procedural defects in the opposition’s petition.
- Oct 14 Leader Dipke urged supporters to gather at Central Park in Delhi on Oct. 16 with the national flag, after two protesters were placed in judicial custody for a Jantar Mantar demonstration.
- Oct 14 Thousands of young demonstrators gathered in Delhi to protest what they claim are irregularities in the voter registration process, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.
- Oct 16 Delhi High Court refused to grant an injunction against the CJP rally.
- Oct 16 Delhi police detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke as he headed to Central Park for the planned rally.
- Oct 16 The unrest has spread from Delhi to multiple major Indian cities.
- Oct 17 About 2,000 protesters marched in Connaught Place and police detained between 100 and 150 activists, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke.
In this story
Related stories
35 in this thread