Chennai, Oct 16:
VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan on Friday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for the repeal of the law governing the appointment of election commissioners and the scrapping of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Speaking at a protest organised by the Youth Federation near Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore, Chennai, Thirumavalavan said the agitation against Gyanesh Kumar was gaining momentum across the country. DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi also participated in the protest and addressed the gathering in support of the demonstrators.
Thirumavalavan said the participation of democratic forces without political affiliations showed the seriousness of the issue. He argued that the demand for the Chief Election Commissionerās resignation could not be dismissed as a move motivated solely by political interests, adding that Gyanesh Kumar was not an ordinary official.
He also alleged that election-related irregularities had taken place and claimed that officials who had worked with Gyanesh Kumar had raised objections 14 times over 10 months, including in writing. He demanded an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the decisions taken by the Election Commission leadership.
Questioning the decision-making process, Thirumavalavan said the system required two of the three members to agree on a decision and called for scrutiny of how such decisions were reached. He alleged that the process had not ensured free and fair elections.
Calling for the abolition of EVMs, he argued that electronic voting machines could be vulnerable to large-scale manipulation and said the demand to scrap them should be taken up more vigorously. These were allegations made by Thirumavalavan at the protest.
He also criticised political calls for a Tamil Nadu without established Dravidian parties, the Communist parties and the Congress, saying such political positions were part of the wider debate surrounding the stateās political landscape.