Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, escalating the political row over the Election Commission's functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Sharp attack on the poll panel chief
In remarks reported on Saturday, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of undermining the electoral process under Kumar's leadership. He alleged that decisions taken under Kumar had affected the integrity of elections and urged the CEC to "turn approver". These are political allegations by the Congress and have not been established by any court.
Gandhi also took to X, writing: "First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India's elections."
In a related claim amplified by the Congress's Kerala unit, the party cited former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson as saying that Kumar had approached him and asked him to contest on a BJP ticket, even offering a ministerial position. The Congress has not produced independent verification of that claim.
BJP rejects the charges
Speaking on Thursday, Gandhi had alleged that the poll body had failed in its constitutional responsibilities and linked his accusations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, suggesting investigations would eventually examine their role.
The BJP has rejected Gandhi's allegations and accused the Congress of trying to blame the Election Commission for its own electoral setbacks. Congress workers have since held protests in several parts of the country demanding Kumar's resignation and action over the electoral-roll revision.
The backdrop: a poll panel under scrutiny
The controversy intensified after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded written objections at least 14 times over about ten months on decisions linked to the SIR exercise, Form 6 and the commission's information-technology systems.
The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and technical observations are part of the functioning of a multi-member constitutional body, and rejected suggestions that its final decisions were divided. On Saturday, the full commission met at Nirvachan Sadan and issued a press note asserting that its major SIR decisions were approved unanimously by all three commissioners.
The commission has also announced measures to ease the SIR process, including doorstep assistance by Booth Level Officers for voters facing discrepancies, help desks and special camps for vulnerable citizens, and an extension of the claims-and-objections deadline in Delhi and Maharashtra.
Sources:
LatestLY: Rahul Gandhi Targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over Election Commission Row, Demands Resignation
IANS: CEC Gyanesh Kumar, ECs Sandhu-Joshi meet; Form 6, SIR decisions clarified
Sharp attack on the poll panel chief
In remarks reported on Saturday, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of undermining the electoral process under Kumar's leadership. He alleged that decisions taken under Kumar had affected the integrity of elections and urged the CEC to "turn approver". These are political allegations by the Congress and have not been established by any court.
Gandhi also took to X, writing: "First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India's elections."
In a related claim amplified by the Congress's Kerala unit, the party cited former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson as saying that Kumar had approached him and asked him to contest on a BJP ticket, even offering a ministerial position. The Congress has not produced independent verification of that claim.
BJP rejects the charges
Speaking on Thursday, Gandhi had alleged that the poll body had failed in its constitutional responsibilities and linked his accusations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, suggesting investigations would eventually examine their role.
The BJP has rejected Gandhi's allegations and accused the Congress of trying to blame the Election Commission for its own electoral setbacks. Congress workers have since held protests in several parts of the country demanding Kumar's resignation and action over the electoral-roll revision.
The backdrop: a poll panel under scrutiny
The controversy intensified after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded written objections at least 14 times over about ten months on decisions linked to the SIR exercise, Form 6 and the commission's information-technology systems.
The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and technical observations are part of the functioning of a multi-member constitutional body, and rejected suggestions that its final decisions were divided. On Saturday, the full commission met at Nirvachan Sadan and issued a press note asserting that its major SIR decisions were approved unanimously by all three commissioners.
The commission has also announced measures to ease the SIR process, including doorstep assistance by Booth Level Officers for voters facing discrepancies, help desks and special camps for vulnerable citizens, and an extension of the claims-and-objections deadline in Delhi and Maharashtra.
Sources:
LatestLY: Rahul Gandhi Targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over Election Commission Row, Demands Resignation
IANS: CEC Gyanesh Kumar, ECs Sandhu-Joshi meet; Form 6, SIR decisions clarified
