Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing differences between the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Gandhi also claimed that elections in India were being “rigged”, meaning that two Election Commissioners raised concerns.
Gandhi said in a press conference on Thursday that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to several decisions regarding the electoral roll revision exercise. He claimed that the internal dissent raised serious questions about the functioning of the poll panel and called for Kumar to step down.
According to the press conference, Gandhi said: “Elections are rigged, from Lok Sabha to state Assemblies,” and said the two Election Commissioners had raised questions about Kumar. Gandhi also said Kumar was appointed with the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and claimed that the CEC should quit.
The remarks came a day after an investigation by The Indian Express reported that Sandhu and Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over a period of 10 months to decisions and orders on electoral rolls and the SIR process. Their objections included changes to Form 6, additions and deletions from electoral rolls, restoration of names, and the functioning and centralisation of voter-data systems, according to the report.
The reported dissent has created a bigger political storm - Opposition parties have called for more scrutiny of the Election Commission's functioning and are calling for action against Kumar. Opposition leaders have questioned the SIR process after the revelations of the internal objections.
What The Election Commission Has Said
The Election Commission has rejected the interpretation that the objections reflect a breakdown in decision-making. In the Indian Express report, the Commission did not dispute the existence, dates, or contents of the 14 notes, but called them “suggestions”. The poll panel emphasized that decisions made during that period were unanimous.
The Election Commission is a three-member constitutional body consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. The official ECI directory currently lists Gyanesh Kumar as the CEC and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as Election Commissioners.
The controversy centers on how the SIR exercise and related electoral-roll decisions are handled internally. Sandhu and Joshi had raised concerns over some decisions they felt were made without their knowledge, the Indian Express reported. The two commissioners later approached Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan over concerns on the functioning of the poll panel and voter-data systems.
Rahul Gandhi Questions Anti-Incumbency
Gandhi also questioned recent elections and what he called the disappearance of anti-incumbency. He said governments and political parties tend to face voter dissatisfaction after being in power for a long time.
Referring back to previous elections, Gandhi said anti-incumbency had affected governments across political parties and questioned why, in his view, the phenomenon appeared absent in several recent elections involving the BJP and its leadership.
These comments were part of Gandhi’s broader criticism of the electoral process. The controversy was not limited to individual votes, he said, but rather the ability of citizens to express themselves through elections.
'Attack On Expression Of Every Person'
But Gandhi claimed any compromise with the electoral process would have an impact on the constitutional rights of citizens. The Election Commission should protect voters and have confidence in the electoral system, he said.
“We are not going to sit silent when our votes are destroyed,” Gandhi said, while also praising Sandhu and Joshi for raising their concerns.
Gandhi also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would eventually face scrutiny over the matter. These statements are political claims by Gandhi, and are not based upon any independent report mentioned above.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that differences and observations can be part of internal deliberations and that its decisions on the SIR were ultimately unanimous. The dispute over the reported objections has so far been a major political issue, and Opposition parties are calling for greater accountability while the poll panel is defending its decision-making.
