NEW DELHI | The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over ‘vote-chori’ (vote theft) continued on Monday. For the third consecutive day, AAP leaders and karyakartas took to the streets to march towards Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police once again resorted to brutality against a group of leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, who were marching alongside a large number of karyakartas. The police forcibly detained them and put them on a bus. During the protest, Sanjay Singh demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, elections using ballot papers and an impartial process for selecting election commissioners.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “Gyanesh Kumar must resign because he has stolen 13 crore 37 lakh votes. Elections in the country must be conducted using ballot papers, and the process of selecting election commissioners must be made impartial, with the government not having a majority in the selection process. The government must provide us with Ramlila Maidan to hold our protest.”
Meanwhile, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said the protests would continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigned. “Delhi Police can beat us with batons, drag us along the streets, tear our clothes or break our heads, but we will continue to demand our rights through non-violence and will ensure that Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” he added.
Saurabh Bharadwaj further stated that the government’s decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a protest site reflected its nervousness, and said, “The government feels that even 50,000 police personnel cannot secure Jantar Mantar because people, children and young women are continuing to reach the site. That is why the government now wants to send people far away. No problem. Let the government give us Ramlila Maidan. We are ready to protest there as well.”
Sharing a video from the protest on X, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Delhi Police tried to strangulate me. This is the second time that Delhi Police has tried to strangulate me. Abhishek kumar shouted that they were choking me and a policeman shoved him in the face. Police intentionally surrounded me so that media cameras could not record the video. Lieutenant Governor should investigate this matter.”
Senior AAP leader and Gujarat Prabhari Gopal Rai said, “We will continue our movement and satyagraha wherever we find space. This movement will continue until the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is scrapped, Gyanesh Kumar resigns and free and fair elections are held in the country.”
