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“People Against SIR, Odisha” Calls for Statewide Protests Across Odisha on October 23
The People Against SIR, Odisha, demands the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, cancellation of the ‘illegal SIR’, and comprehensive electoral reforms.
Key Takeaways
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Bhubaneswar, Odisha : The People Against SIR, Odisha, has called for statewide protests on October 23 against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, cancellation of what it termed the “illegal SIR” and comprehensive electoral reforms to protect voters’ rights and safeguard democracy.
The call was issued at a state-level preparatory meeting held at Lohia Academy in Bhubaneswar on October 19. Participants resolved to intensify the anti-SIR movement across Odisha and mobilise public opinion in defence of democratic rights, electoral transparency and the independence of the Election CommissionConstitutional BodyThe Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India..
As part of the nationwide call for protest, rallies, public meetings and demonstrations will be organised on October 23 in Bhubaneswar, district headquarters, major towns and block headquarters across the state.
In Bhubaneswar, the main protest will be held on Mahatma Gandhi Marg, between Master Canteen Square and Lower PMG, from 5 pm to 8 pm. The organisers have appealed to people from all sections of society to participate in large numbers.
Four Key Demands
The organisation announced that the movement would continue until its four major demands are addressed:
KEY DEMANDS
People Against SIR, Odisha: Core Objectives
DEMAND 01
Resignation of Chief Election Commissioner
Gyanesh Kumar (Note: Article’s claim, fact-checked as Election Commissioner).
DEMAND 02
Cancellation of ‘Illegal SIR’
Restore deleted voters, regularize electoral roll revisions.
DEMAND 03
Independence of Election Commission
Repeal appointment law, ensure autonomy and impartiality.
DEMAND 04
Comprehensive Electoral Reforms
Proportional representation, curb money/muscle power, public funding.
VISUALS BY THE RIFT
Resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should step down.
Cancellation of SIR: The organisation demands the cancellation of what it describes as the illegal Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, restoration of the names of all voters whose names have been deleted, and regular revision of electoral rolls at periodic intervals, as practised earlier.
Independence of the Election Commission: The law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners should be repealed, and the independence, autonomy and impartiality of the Election Commission should be ensured.
Comprehensive electoral reforms: The organisation has called for the introduction of proportional representation, measures to curb the influence of money and muscle power in elections, and priority for a system of public funding of elections.
Broad Participation at Preparatory Meeting
The preparatory meeting emphasised the need to expand the movement to the grassroots level and build a broad democratic campaign to protect citizens’ electoral rights.
Senior leaders from various political parties, representatives of workers’ and farmers’ organisations, agricultural labourers, women, students and youth, social activists, civil society representatives and intellectuals attended the meeting and participated in the discussions.
Speakers stressed that every citizen must enjoy equal rights in the electoral process and that the Election Commission must function independently, impartially and autonomously.
The meeting appealed to like-minded political parties, mass organisations, student and youth groups, artists, writers, litterateurs, musicians, cultural activists, intellectuals, civil society representatives and all those committed to democracy to actively participate in the October 23 programme.
Organisers Call for Mass Mobilisation
The meeting was chaired by Janardan Pati, Professor Amiya Kumar Mohanty and Mahendra Parida.
Among those who attended were Pratap Rath, Basanti Acharya, Sudhir Patnaik, Tushar Ray, Sudarshan Das, Jayanta Das, Suresh Chandra Panigrahi, Pramila, Bansidhar Parida, Ramakanta Hati, Jyoti Ranjan Mahapatra, Srikanth Mohanty, Pushpa Dash, Pradipta Nayak, Manwar Ali, Ullas Swain, Yameswar Samantaray, Arun Parida, Saroj Nayak, Prabhat Panigrahi, Minati Panigrahi, Kailash Puhan, Subhranshu Udgata, Ranjan Kumar Kar, Indramani Behera, Shiva Sabar, Subasini Bhadra, Ishani Sarangi, Bhagirathi Pradhan, Pabitra Kumar Indrajit, Syed Barkhat Ali, Stalin Titon Lenka, Akshaya Behera and Chittaranjan Senapati, along with several other leaders of political, social and democratic movements.
The organisers reiterated their appeal to the people of Odisha to make the October 23 protests successful, stating that the campaign aims to protect voters’ rights, ensure transparency in elections and strengthen democracy.
The programme is being organised under the banner of People Against SIR, Odisha.
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