Opposition attacks on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar intensified on Thursday amid a major controversy over a media report claiming that two of the three Election Commissioners had objected to decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Leading the attack for Congress, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called for criminal prosecution if allegations of election manipulation are established and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar demanded CEC’s resignation, a day after Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission, BJP and RSS of committing an "act of treason".
The fresh offensive followed an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral-roll procedures. The reported concerns included voter additions and deletions, changes involving Form 6 and control over electoral-roll data.
The Election Commission has maintained that observations and suggestions by its members are part of normal internal deliberations and that its final decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were unanimous.
Congress seeks action
After Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi said the allegations surrounding the conduct of elections were serious and those responsible should face action if wrongdoing was established.
"So, I think it is an extremely serious issue for our democracy because if there are no elections, where is democracy? If the elections are unfair and are being rigged in any manner and the ECI is assisting in that, and the Election Commissioner is not only aware of it, but also allowing it to happen, then it is a very very serious assault on democracy.
Priyanka said the allegations should be investigated through a process that commands public confidence, particularly given the questions that have been raised over voter-list deletions and alleged manipulation in states including Maharashtra and Haryana.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday demanded Kumar's resignation and called for the ongoing SIR exercise to be scrapped and replaced with a fresh revision of electoral rolls.
“When a majority of the members do not agree with an opinion, a decision cannot be imposed unilaterally. It would be better if the Chief Election Commissioner voluntarily resigns on moral grounds,” Shivakumar said.
He also questioned the manner in which Forms 6, 7 and 8 were being used during electoral-roll revision and alleged that the process could particularly affect illiterate and disadvantaged voters.
“We want a fresh SIR to be conducted. Everyone should be given their rights. The situation must be reviewed comprehensively to ensure the right to every vote, and the electoral data must be re-examined,” he said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh separately renewed the demand for Kumar's resignation, citing reports concerning the ECINet software.
Mamata, Kejriwal and Abhishek seek CEC's removal
The attacks built on a wider Opposition offensive on Wednesday.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee demanded Kumar's arrest and fresh Assembly elections in the state using the pre-SIR voter list. She alleged that the BJP and Election Commission had "looted" the West Bengal polls held earlier this year.
"There will be pan-India protests till Gyanesh Kumar remains CEC. He should be arrested and criminal proceedings initiated against him. The chair of the CEC is not for a person like him. It's another fight for freedom, this time from the compromised CEC, and the BJP that has destroyed India," Banerjee said.
The Election Commission has disputed allegations that the electoral process was manipulated.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee separately alleged that 30 lakh names had been deleted from West Bengal's electoral rolls to benefit the BJP and demanded Kumar's arrest and a Look Out Circular against him. The allegation that the deletions were designed to benefit the BJP has not been independently established.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal demanded that Kumar be arrested and the entire SIR exercise cancelled.
"So today, we demand that the entire SIR process be cancelled, that all changes made under SIR be cancelled, and that the voter list from three years ago be restored," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal alleged that Kumar had issued orders without the approval of the full Commission and claimed that this made the SIR exercise "illegal".
Akhilesh, Left and others join attack
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the credibility of the poll panel, alleging that voters supporting his party had been systematically removed from electoral rolls.
"The Election Commission claims it will strengthen democracy. When such things are happening within the Election Commission itself, where can one place their trust? In the span of 10 months, various officials have written letters 14 times. Samajwadi Party voters were systematically deleted from the Election Commission's voters list. We brought this to the notice of the Election Commission, but no action was taken against anyone. Rampant malpractice was committed on a massive scale in the by-elections," Yadav said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded Kumar's resignation, an independent investigation and a return to paper ballots for upcoming elections.
Left parties also sought Kumar's removal and an immediate halt to SIR. CPI(M) MP John Brittas approached President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention, while CPI general secretary D Raja called for Kumar's resignation and asked the Supreme Court to examine the Commission's decisions.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav sought fresh elections in Bihar and West Bengal, alleging manipulation of the electoral process, while Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for corrective action to address questions surrounding the poll panel's functioning.
Odisha's opposition BJD also sought an investigation into reported large-scale deletions from electoral rolls and raised questions about exclusions during the SIR exercise in the state.
What triggered the row?
At the centre of the controversy is the Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral-roll management.
According to the report, their concerns covered decisions allegedly taken without their knowledge, changes involving Form 6 for new voters, additions and deletions from voter lists and centralised control over the electoral-roll database.
The disclosures gave fresh ammunition to Opposition parties that had already been questioning the SIR exercise.
What Election Commission said
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported exchanges demonstrate unilateral decision-making.
It said differing views and observations were normal parts of deliberations in any institution and that written notes, technical suggestions and internal checks were standard practices designed to ensure legal compliance and protect voter rights.
“The ECI is a constitutional body that functions under the strict mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution, statutory rules and established institutional conventions. The Commission operates as a multi-member constitutional body. Written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks-and-balances are standard, ongoing practices designed to ensure complete transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour," the Commission said.
It maintained that its official orders carried full legal sanction and that its final decisions, including those concerning SIR, were unanimous.
What BJP said
The BJP on Wednesday also rejected the Opposition's interpretation of the reported exchanges and argued that differing views among commissioners showed that the institution was functioning democratically.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "The media reports saying that the election commissioners shared differing views in official deliberations is a reflection of pure democracy."
The row has now widened from the SIR exercise itself to the Election Commission's internal decision-making. Opposition parties have made demands ranging from Kumar's resignation and removal to his arrest, cancellation of SIR and fresh elections, while the poll panel maintains that its decisions followed established procedures and were unanimously approved by the full Commission.
