Politics
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Congress Seeks CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation, Claims Election Panel ‘Hijacked’
The Congress on Wednesday demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar , accusing him of sidelining the other two Election Commissioners and running the poll panel in an "authoritarian" manner. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress MP and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Kumar should not continue in office even for a day and claimed that the Election Commission had been "hijacked". The remarks came after an Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision ( SIR ) of electoral rolls. Singhvi said the reported objections raised by the two Election Commissioners were a matter of concern and argued that differences of opinion within a constitutional body should not be treated as disruption. "Dissent is not disruption; dissent is democracy's protection," he said. The Congress leader alleged that the CEC had sidelined his colleagues and was functioning as though he was the sole authority within the Election Commission. Singhvi also referred to a Supreme Court judgment from 1995, saying the court had made it clear that the Chief Election Commissioner was the "first among equals" and that decisions of the poll panel were not meant to rest solely with the CEC. He said the court had previously observed that treating the CEC as superior in a manner where his word was final could make the other Election Commissioners "non-functional or ornamental". Singhvi also welcomed the reported objections recorded by Sandhu and Joshi, saying such dissent should be placed in the public domain for transparency and accountability. According to a report, the objections covered issues including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes to Form 6, control of the electoral-roll database and appeals filed against decisions restoring voters. Singhvi claimed that Sandhu had written to the CEC 14 times and questioned the basis for the Election Commission's appeal against orders involving around 14 lakh voters in West Bengal . He also alleged that Electoral Registration Officers had been denied access to the election portal and said both Sandhu and Joshi had raised questions over the matter. The Congress leader further raised concerns over changes to Form 6, which is used by people seeking registration as voters for the first time. He alleged that the revised process had made registration more difficult by asking applicants to provide information about whether their parents or grandparents appeared in earlier electoral rolls. Singhvi claimed that the Election Commission could not alter the statutory form on its own and alleged that around 13 crore names had been removed from electoral rolls across the country during the SIR exercise. A newspaper has reported that the SIR, which began in Bihar in June 2025, has so far resulted in more than 13 crore names being removed from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories. Singhvi said the scale of deletions raised concerns about the impact of the exercise on eligible voters. He claimed that in the first two phases of the SIR, around 7.8 crore names, or about 13 per cent of the earlier electoral roll, had been removed. He further claimed that in the next phase, currently covering 16 states and three Union territories, another 6.18 crore names had been deleted, amounting to around 17 per cent. According to Singhvi, another 5.43 crore voters had been categorised as doubtful and issued notices seeking additional documents. He said the number of deleted names could rise to around 15 crore by the time the SIR exercise is completed. The Congress leader also accused the BJP of trying to benefit electorally from the revision exercise, alleging that the ruling party wanted to eliminate the Opposition where it had won. Election Commission rejects dissent claim The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections represented an internal split or that its decisions were taken without the approval of all members. EC sources said all decisions, including those related to the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously with the approval of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and both Election Commissioners. The poll panel has also maintained that written notes, suggestions and differing views are part of its internal decision-making process and do not necessarily represent final decisions of the Commission. The controversy comes as the SIR exercise faces political and legal scrutiny, with the Supreme Court also questioning the manner in which some notices were issued to voters based on alleged "logical discrepancies". The Congress has meanwhile stepped up its demand for action against the CEC, while the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions on the SIR and other matters were taken unanimously. Also Read: SIR Row Escalates: John Brittas Seeks President’s Intervention, Gaurav Gogoi Targets EC
