New Delhi, Sep 23: Opposition parties have accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of ‘one-man autocracy’ following a media report detailing disagreements among Election Commissioners over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list. The allegations have triggered a political storm, with calls for the CEC’s removal.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on multiple occasions concerning issues related to the voter roll cleanup process across various states. While decisions pertaining to the pan-India SIR were reportedly unanimous, the report highlighted significant internal dissent.
The controversy erupted after a report by The Indian Express revealed that Sandhu and Joshi had raised concerns, on record, at least 14 times over the past ten months regarding decisions taken and orders issued without their explicit knowledge. The national rollout of the SIR has been under the supervision of all three commissioners.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications, shared a screenshot of the media report on X, formerly Twitter. He stated that Abhishek Singhvi would address the media on behalf of the party regarding the revelations about the alleged damage to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) credibility and integrity under the current CEC.
KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation, asserted that Kumar no longer has the right to hold office. He questioned how one individual, allegedly acting on orders, could strike off names arbitrarily and sideline constitutional colleagues, leading to actions that endanger democracy. Venugopal emphasized that the right to vote is a fundamental constitutional power that requires due process for its removal.
Alleging that genuine voters are being excluded and a similar number of bogus voters are being added, Venugopal accused Kumar of being the chief architect of a nationwide ‘Vote Chori’ (vote theft) exercise, with the ‘Modi top brass’ pulling the strings. The Congress demanded Kumar’s immediate removal and a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the matter to restore the ECI’s credibility.
Pawan Khera, head of the Congress’s media and publicity department, described Kumar as ‘planted’ and ‘protected’ by the BJP to weaken the ECI from within. He noted that the expose by The Indian Express had revealed the disturbing internal dysfunction within the ECI. Khera alleged that Kumar is the most ‘sold-out’ bureaucrat of the Modi era, responsible for disenfranchising millions of Indians, and called for him to face legal consequences.
Manish Tewari, a Congress MP, reacting to the report, suggested that if the reported facts are accurate, an ‘invisible hand’ appears to be operating the Election Commission. He argued that if rules were not followed and decisions were not unanimous or by majority, then all ECI decisions could be considered arbitrary, capricious, or illegal. Tewari suggested that this situation might warrant impeachment proceedings and questioned how the ECI’s credibility could be resurrected.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal called for Kumar’s suspension and the filing of an FIR to investigate who is behind his alleged actions. Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat described the changes to the statutory voter registration Form 6 as ‘absolutely wrong and illegal’ and termed the revelations of internal differences within the ECI as ‘very serious’ and ‘unfortunate’.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas characterized the ECI as a ‘one-man autocracy’ under CEC Kumar. He highlighted that two Election Commissioners had formally objected 14 times in 10 months, branding the addition of new voters and mass deletion as ‘unauthorised and illegal’. Brittas alleged that objections to secret deletions, restorations, and form 6 changes that harass young voters were made while Commissioners were kept in the dark, describing it as open subversion of the EC and democracy.
Brittas announced that Parliament must immediately begin the process for the CEC’s removal, stating that a removal notice with grounds and signatures from approximately 70 MPs was submitted on April 24, 2026. He contended that the Constitution provides for such powers in moments of institutional capture. The CPI(M) MP urged the Supreme Court to annul the entire SIR process, stating that judicial silence in the face of such allegations would be complicity. He warned that Kumar’s actions spell the ‘death knell of a democratic nation’ and demanded the CEC’s removal and the striking down of the SIR, or the acceptance that free and fair elections are being buried.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien also cited the media report, with O’Brien calling for the immediate re-initiation of a motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar to ‘save democracy’.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
