Darbhanga (Bihar) [India], October 8 : Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday called for reforms in the Election Commission of India, including changes to how Election Commissioners are appointed, and said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should step down. 
Speaking to reporters, Kishor claimed the problem was not limited to one person or incident, alleging the poll body had favoured the government over the past seven to eight years.
"The reputation and credibility of the Election Commission are at stake, and this is not due to any single individual or a solitary incident," he said.
He pointed to Kumar's predecessor, Rajiv Kumar, saying, "Before Gyanesh Kumar, there was Rajiv Kumar. He, too, ran the Election Commission in much the same way. And upon his retirement, he was appointed Chairman of HDFC, the country's largest private bank." 
"For the past seven or eight years, whether it concerns the preparation of electoral rolls, the election schedule, the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, instances like the government buying votes by handing out Rs 10,000 in Bihar, or irregularities during the vote count, at every level, the Election Commission has openly appeared to favour the government and the ruling party," he added.
His remarks come in the backdrop of protests by the INDIA bloc taking place in the national capital since October 6. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with other INDIA bloc MPs, was detained earlier after attempting to march to the Election Commission headquarters. 
He linked the protests to the perception of the ECI. "That is why the public feels the elections are not being conducted fairly, leading to protests," he said. 
While maintaining that "Gyanesh Kumar should step down," Kishor said that institutional changes are also needed. 
"There must be reforms within the Election Commission; the appointment of Election Commissioners needs reform, and the process of compiling voter lists requires improvement," he said.
He also demanded greater transparency in counting. "Form 17 should be placed in the public domain prior to the day of counting, and the entire counting process must be made transparent to bolster public confidence in the election process," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday announced that the INDIA bloc MPs will stage a peaceful sit-in protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar at Gandhi Smarak in Delhi amid the ongoing row over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
This will mark the third consecutive day of protest by the opposition MPs after they staged a march to Nirvachan Sadan on Tuesday and protested near Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. The MPs boarded the bus to move towards the Raj Ghat.
Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, “We, the members of the INDIA alliance, are heading to the Gandhi Memorial to stage a peaceful sit-in protest. We will sit there and pray that the BJP government, specifically PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, be granted the wisdom to realise that their actions are not in the nation's interest. Whether it is the issue of vote theft, the rising inflation, the problems facing the youth, or any other crisis they have created, everything goes against the public interest.”
Rahul Gandhi alleged a criminal conspiracy by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, affirming that they will be brought to justice.
He said, “About 300 MPs want to hold a peaceful protest. We are not being allowed to hold the protest for the past two days. On the first day, they stopped us in front of the Election Commission; the next day we were stopped near Jantar Mantar. Our people were beaten. The reality is that Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar and Mohan Bhagwat have hijacked India with a criminal conspiracy, destroyed the Constitution and did ‘vote chori’. Action will be taken, they will be brought to justice; this is our guarantee.”
Congress and other INDIA bloc MPs held the lunch meeting, hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.