Agartala, September 25: The Tripura Pradesh Congress on Friday staged a protest near the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Office Lane here, raising allegations over the conduct of the electoral process.
Party leaders, workers and supporters took part in the demonstration and raised slogans against the Election Commission. An effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was also burnt during the protest.
Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman and Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha were among those present.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Roy Barman demanded the resignation and arrest of Mr. Kumar, alleging that recent decisions of the Election Commission had raised serious questions over the functioning of democratic institutions.
He also criticised the BJP-led government, alleging that the concerns of teachers, educated unemployed youths, government employees, workers and farmers were not receiving adequate attention. The Congress would continue to organise programmes highlighting public grievances, he said.
Mr. Roy Barman also raised allegations of irregularities in elections in several States, including West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Haryana. He questioned the legal protection available to election officials against certain forms of legal action.
The Congress leader also referred to protests by candidates who cleared the TET and STGT examinations in Tripura and other unemployed youths. He alleged that police had used force and water cannons against protesters demanding jobs and action on their grievances.
Mr. Roy Barman said the party’s future agitation programme would be discussed at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, following which further programmes would be announced.
Congress leaders said a larger agitation could be organised over allegations concerning the electoral process and what they described as concerns over the functioning of democratic institutions.
