The Congress on Monday urged the Union government to formally end Parliament’s Monsoon session and initiate an all-party dialogue on delimitation. However, the party said meaningful discussions should be preceded by the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh outlined the demands in a post on X. He also called for measures to restore public confidence in the electoral system, linking the party’s position on delimitation consultations to its concerns about election administration.
Parliament Session Delay Questioned by Jairam Ramesh
Ramesh said both Houses had been adjourned sine die on August 13 but the Monsoon session had still not been prorogued. He described the interval as a record, citing a previous gap of 28 days after the 2015 Monsoon session.
He alleged that the government had kept the session open while attempting to secure parliamentary support for delimitation legislation. Ramesh further claimed that objections from some NDA allies had complicated those efforts. These statements represent the Congress leader’s allegations about the government’s legislative strategy. His demand focuses on formally closing the session and moving towards consultations with political parties on the proposed electoral changes.
Delimitation Dispute Adds to Political Confrontation
The supplied report places the latest statement against the backdrop of the April 17 defeat in the Lok Sabha of a Constitution amendment bill linked to delimitation and implementation of women’s reservation.
Ramesh credited Opposition unity for that outcome and maintained that the parties remained united despite political differences. He urged the Centre to pursue a consultative approach to the next steps on delimitation.
The Congress position brings together two separate disputes: the process for considering changes to electoral representation and the Opposition’s criticism of the Election Commission’s handling of voter-list revision.
Election Commission Defends Its Decision-Making Process
The demand for Kumar’s resignation follows reporting by The Indian Express about recorded objections from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, largely concerning decisions connected with SIR.
The Election Commission responded that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations. It maintained that its orders have legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
Congress has nevertheless continued to demand the CEC’s resignation, suspension of SIR and steps to rebuild electoral trust. The Election Commission’s response disputes the implication that internal differences establish procedural wrongdoing.
