ASAP Announces March Against Chief Election Commissioner
The Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), announced on Tuesday that it will join a protest march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 10 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, according to an IANS report published by EdexLive.
Eeshna Gupta, co-in-charge of ASAP, confirmed the party's participation in an online post. The announcement follows media reports alleging that two other Election Commissioners had objected to key decisions made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) without their knowledge.
Demands for Resignation and Electoral Reforms
Gupta stated on the social media platform X that thousands across the country are demanding the resignation and prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters are also calling for the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and comprehensive reforms to the ECI.
The controversy stems from reports claiming that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vijay Joshi had "objected on record" to several ECI decisions. These objections reportedly concerned the conduct of the SIR, which was allegedly implemented without the knowledge of the other commissioners.
Escalating Political Pressure on the ECI
The student wing's mobilization adds to growing political pressure on the election body. Earlier on Tuesday, opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc launched a protest march toward the ECI headquarters in New Delhi. They were demanding the CEC's resignation but were stopped by security personnel midway through their route.
Gupta highlighted the intensity of the ongoing demonstrations in her social media post. She noted that despite instances of police action, manhandling, and sexual assault against protesters and journalists, the movement for democratic accountability continues to grow.
Previous Protests and Detentions
The upcoming October 10 march follows recent demonstrations against the CEC's leadership. Last week, the AAP joined left-wing student organizations, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students' Association (AISA), in a protest at Jantar Mantar.
That earlier demonstration resulted in several detentions. The ASAP has indicated it will march alongside other student organizations on October 10 to continue the pressure on the election commission regarding its recent administrative actions and leadership conduct.