Tripura Congress to hold ‘Save Democracy’ protest in Agartala against CEC

The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee will hold a protest march in Agartala on October 8 as part of the party's nationwide ‘Save Democracy’ campaign, opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

TPCC president Asish Kumar Saha said the Congress would protest against what he described as the CEC's “undemocratic and unconstitutional” actions.

“We oppose this SIR. At the same time, we are protesting against the Chief Election Commissioner for his undemocratic and unconstitutional actions,” Saha said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The protest programme, launched on October 2, will conclude at the district level on Thursday with a demonstration in the state capital.

Saha said the Congress had organised a candlelight march in Agartala on October 2, followed by similar programmes in several districts, including Dharmanagar, Khowai and Bishalgarh.

The concluding protest in Agartala will begin at the Agartala Press Club and proceed towards the office of the District Magistrate of West Tripura, where Congress workers and supporters will stage a demonstration, he said.

Saha said the district-level programme was being organised across the country on the call of the All India Congress Committee, with opposition parties under the INDIA bloc seeking action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

“We appeal to all opposition political parties in Tripura that want to join this democratic movement to participate in tomorrow's programme,” Saha said.

The Congress has also invited NGOs and prominent personalities to participate in the protest in their individual capacity, he said.

Saha appealed to people to join the programme in large numbers and said the nationwide campaign was being led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

He said he attended an All India Congress Committee meeting on October 5 as TPCC president, where a series of programmes were chalked out for nearly two months.

While the district-level programmes will conclude on October 8, block-level programmes will begin across the country from October 10, Saha said. Similar programmes will also be organised in Tripura and West Bengal.

The Congress has been opposing the SIR exercise, arguing that it could affect eligible voters, while the Election Commission has maintained that the revision is aimed at ensuring accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls.