Agartala, October 1: The Tripura Pradesh Congress Seva Dal on Thursday staged a mass sit-in in Agartala demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleging lapses in the conduct of elections and preparation of electoral rolls.
The demonstration was attended by Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha, MLAs Sudip Roy Barman and Gopal Chandra Roy, besides party workers and supporters.
The Congress said the protest was aimed at highlighting what it described as threats to democratic rights and the need for greater accountability in the functioning of constitutional institutions.
Addressing the gathering, Saha alleged that voters in Tripura had faced intimidation and obstruction during elections since 2018. He accused ruling party workers of preventing voters from reaching polling stations and alleged incidents of violence, booth capturing and fraudulent voting.
According to Saha, the party had received complaints concerning the conduct of elections to panchayats, the Autonomous District Council and the Lok Sabha. He claimed that such incidents had affected voters’ ability to freely exercise their franchise.
Saha also criticised Chief Minister Manik Saha, alleging that the chief minister had defended the Election Commission instead of addressing concerns raised by opposition parties. The Congress demanded that allegations relating to the electoral process be examined independently.
The electoral roll was another key issue raised during the protest. Congress leaders alleged that names of genuine voters had been removed from electoral rolls while names of ineligible persons were included. They demanded an independent inquiry and greater transparency in the preparation, revision and verification of voter lists.
The party also raised concerns over the legal safeguards available to election officials. Congress leaders said constitutional bodies should have adequate accountability mechanisms and that allegations of misuse of authority or electoral malpractice should be subject to legal scrutiny.
The protesters also highlighted unemployment, law and order, salary-related grievances of government employees and alleged corruption in various departments.
Congress leaders alleged that unemployed youths raising their demands had faced police action. They also claimed that opposition programmes had been obstructed through administrative measures.
The Seva Dal demonstration is part of the Congress’ continuing campaign on electoral issues in Tripura. The party said it would intensify its agitation over electoral transparency, voter-list concerns and accountability.
Gyanesh Kumar took charge as Chief Election Commissioner in February 2025.
The Congress leaders said they would continue raising the issues until their demands and concerns were addressed.
