Gyanesh Kumar in line of fire as Opposition ups ante. CEC's position now untenable?

Devotees marked the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi Visarjan, bidding farewell to Ganpati Bappa and offering prayers for a peaceful, prosperous, and devoted festival. Dressed in traditional Indian attire for the final day of the celebrations, participants expressed hope for the deity's return the following year, invoking the customary festive chant requesting an early return. The bulletin concluded the festive coverage as part of News Without Annoyance, extending festive greetings and weekend wishes to viewers across the nation.

In an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court Aryama Sundaram evaluated the legality and administrative flaws of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Sundaram noted that while the constitutional concept of the policy was upheld, its actual rollout remains subject to legal challenges. He stated, 'The correctness of the actions being implemented thereunder are always subject to judicial review.' Addressing mass voter deletions and tribunals overwhelmed by appeals, he stressed that courts cannot be expected to quickly fix deep administrative failures, pointing out that resolving pending disputes could take a decade due to lack of adequate machinery. Emphasizing that free and fair elections are the fulcrum of democracy, Sundaram remarked that the execution of the process was critical, stating that both the executive and the Election Commission have failed to properly handle implementation.

A special intensive revision of Delhi's electoral roll has triggered widespread controversy following the deletion of 47.57 lakh voters and notices sent to over 33 lakh others out of 97.54 lakh draft roll voters. The affected individuals include former diplomats, bureaucrats, judges, and politicians. Former diplomat G. Parthasarathy stated his details were not mapped to the 2002 roll and criticised the execution as casual, calling for accountability among senior officials. Notices were also issued to prominent figures, prompting the Election Commission to instruct booth-level officers to designate VIPs on their verification apps and extend home verification to elderly and specially-abled citizens.

In an interview with India Today, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka declared plans to launch an agitation starting Gandhi Jayanti if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign. Highlighting concerns from ground visits in Rajasthan, Ranka remarked, "It is a rigged game," asserting that citizens feel elections are compromised. He emphasized that genuine democratic change is blocked when election integrity is compromised, calling for structural fixes within the Election Commission. Ranka addressed questions regarding alliances with opposition parties, noting that multiple civil society groups and political forces are speaking in unison on the issue. Questioning why ruling party spokespersons defend the Election Commission instead of the commissioners clarifying reports themselves, Ranka warned that street demonstrations will begin from October 2. He claimed that an estimated 13 crore citizens have had their voter records deleted without transparency.