New Delhi: Concerns raised by two Election Commissioners over the Special Intensive Revision of the voters' list triggered a political row on Wednesday, with the Opposition accusing CEC Gyanesh Kumar of indulging in 'one-man autocracy' and demanding his removal.
Officials said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had flagged multiple issues, including deletion of names, in various states during the voter roll cleanup, but the poll body was unanimous in its decisions related to the pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list.
The reactions poured in after a report in The Indian Express revealed that questions were raised on issues related to the SIR of electoral rolls within the three-member Election Commission (EC) itself, time and again by two of the three Election Commissioners.
The national rollout of the SIR has been under the supervision of all three Commissioners. But Sandhu and Joshi have formally objected, on record, at least 14 times over the last 10 months — four times on a single day — to decisions taken and orders issued, they say, without their knowledge, the report in the English daily said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared the screenshot of the media report on X and said his colleague Abhishek Singhvi would speak to the media on the revelations, alleging that "the CEC has destroyed the credibility and integrity of the Election Commission of India".
Tagging his post on 73 Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha submitting to its secretary general a fresh notice for moving a motion for the removal of Kumar earlier this year, he said, "This was on April 24, 2026. It is still pending with the Hon'ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. It has not been prorogued!"
Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal, demanded Kumar's removal, alleging that the CEC had sidelined fellow constitutional officers and acted against due process.
"Today, when we are staring at crores of genuine voters being excluded and a similar number of bogus voters being added to the rolls, it is clear that Gyanesh Kumar was the Chief Architect of the nationwide 'Vote Chori' exercise, with the Modi top brass pulling the strings," he alleged.
"We demand Gyanesh Kumar's immediate removal and a Supreme Court-monitored impartial investigation to expose the rot that has destroyed the ECI's credibility," Venugopal said.
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also accused Kumar of being 'planted' and 'protected' by the BJP to hollow out the Election Commission of India from within.
Congress MP Manish Tewari said that if the facts reported were correct, they appeared to suggest an 'invisible hand' running the Election Commission.
"If rules were not allegedly followed and decisions were taken that were not unanimous or by majority then all the decisions of @ECISVEEP are per se arbitrary and capricious if not completely illegal," Tewari said on X.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal demanded Kumar's suspension and filing of an FIR to probe who is behind his actions.
Former chief election commissioner O P Rawat said changes to the statutory voter registration Form 6 are 'absolutely wrong and illegal', while describing revelations of differences within the Election Commission as 'very serious' and 'unfortunate'.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas said this is no longer an Election Commission, it is a 'one-man autocracy' under CEC Kumar.
"Two Election Commissioners have formally objected 14 times in 10 months. They branded the addition of new voters and mass deletion 'unauthorised and illegal'. They recorded objections to secret deletions, restorations, and form 6 changes that harass young first-time voters - all while being kept in the dark," he said.
Brittas also called for Parliament to begin the process of removing Kumar and for the Supreme Court to annul the SIR process, saying the objections raised by the two commissioners showed the exercise was illegal and damaging to the electoral rolls.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also cited the media report and said, "A-Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail! He will have to go! His masters will flee the country and run away!"
TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien said on X, "Five months ago, 60+ Rajya Sabha MPs (50 needed) wrote to Chairman RS moving Motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. After big news break today that two Election Commissioners objected to many of CEC's actions, it's time to bring out the RS Motion today. Impeach CEC to save democracy".
