Opposition leaders on Wednesday stepped up their criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions taken in the name of the Election Commission.
The report said the objections concerned voter registration, deletion and restoration, changes to Form 6, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and access to the voter database.
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections reflected an institutional rift, saying differing views and internal notes are a normal part of decision-making and that decisions taken by the full Commission were unanimous.
Rahul Gandhi Alleges ‘Vote Chori’
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of being involved in what he called “vote chori”.
In a video message, Gandhi told the poll panel and its officials that their actions were wrong and described them as “treason” and “against the nation”.
In an accompanying post, he alleged that “vote chori” was a “crime against the Indian people” and a “direct attack” on the Constitution. He also alleged that the BJP, RSS and Election Commission had organised it and said “justice will be served”.
These are Gandhi’s political allegations and have not been independently established.
Akhilesh Yadav Demands Changes
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the reported objections raised serious questions about the functioning of the Election Commission.
Referring to the 14 objections reported by The Indian Express, Yadav said the developments posed a danger to the Constitution and democracy.
He also alleged that his party had previously complained about voter-name deletions without receiving action. Yadav demanded that future elections not be conducted under Gyanesh Kumar.
Kejriwal Demands Arrest, Fresh Elections
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal called for Gyanesh Kumar to be arrested and prosecuted, and demanded that recent elections in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra be annulled and held again.
Kejriwal described Kumar as the “mastermind” behind what he alleged was electoral manipulation. He also questioned whether decisions were being taken through the full three-member Commission.
Kejriwal further alleged that the SIR process had been conducted without proper approval of the full Commission and called for the exercise and changes made under it to be cancelled.
These claims are disputed by the Election Commission.
Thackeray Seeks Kumar’s Removal
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s removal.
Thackeray said the reported objections by Sandhu and Joshi reinforced concerns that opposition parties had raised over the functioning of the Election Commission.
He also called for political parties to unite on the issue and demanded action against the CEC.
Manish Tiwari Raises ‘Invisible Hand’ Claim
Congress MP Manish Tiwari questioned whether an outside influence was affecting the functioning of the Election Commission.
Reacting to the Indian Express report, Tiwari said the reported objections raised questions about whether an “invisible hand” was influencing the poll panel.
He argued that if decisions were not taken unanimously or according to the applicable decision-making process, their legality would need to be examined.
Sanjay Singh Calls SIR ‘Electoral Loot’
AAP MP Sanjay Singh described the SIR exercise as “electoral loot” and accused the CEC of continuing with decisions despite objections allegedly raised by the other commissioners.
Singh also demanded that elections conducted under the present Commission be cancelled and held again.
His remarks were part of the broader opposition response to the Indian Express investigation.
Chidambaram Seeks Review
Congress leader P Chidambaram said that if the Indian Express report was accurate, it raised questions about individual decisions as well as the Election Commission’s decision-making process.
He called for recent decisions to be reviewed by a parliamentary committee and sought suspension of the SIR exercise.
Other opposition leaders, including TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan and CPI(M) MP John Brittas, also criticised the poll panel or sought action against Kumar.
What the Indian Express Report Said
The Indian Express investigation said Sandhu and Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning voter-list changes, SIR, Form 6 and access to electoral-roll data.
It also reported that the two commissioners raised concerns about the “gradual centralisation” of the electoral-roll database.
In one written objection, Sandhu reportedly described action taken against the written advice of the commissioners as “unauthorised and illegal”. The report also said Sandhu and Joshi separately approached the Cabinet Secretary over changes to the allocation of work relating to the electoral-roll technology system.
The investigation further reported concerns about a change to Form 6, the form used by new voters to apply for registration.
ECI Rejects Rift Allegation
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections demonstrate a split within the three-member poll panel.
In its response, the ECI said differing views and observations were a normal part of institutional deliberations and that officers were authorised to offer suggestions to improve the electoral system.
The Commission said focusing on specific internal notes over a 10-month period, while overlooking the broader body of approvals and decisions, presented only one side of the process.
It said decisions taken by the Commission over the past year, including those concerning SIR and electoral-roll revisions, were the outcome of unanimous decisions of the full Commission.
ECI Dissent Row Explained
The dispute centres on two competing accounts of the Commission’s internal functioning.
The Indian Express investigation says Sandhu and Joshi repeatedly raised formal objections to certain decisions and expressed concerns over electoral-roll management and the centralisation of digital systems.
The Election Commission, however, says such objections form part of normal internal deliberation and maintains that final decisions were unanimously approved by the full Commission.
The political dispute is now likely to keep attention focused on the SIR exercise, electoral-roll management and the functioning of the Election Commission.
