FORMER OFFICIAL’S ALLEGATION PROMPTS KERALA OPPOSITION DEMAND FOR CEC GYANESH KUMAR’S REMOVAL

September 27, 2026

Kerala Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan has called for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following allegations by former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson that Kumar had suggested he contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket.

Thomson said the conversation took place during a flight to Delhi in 2016, when both were serving government officials. He said Kumar asked whether he would consider contesting from Pathanamthitta and that he declined the suggestion. Kumar has not publicly responded to the allegation, according to reports.

Satheesan described the allegation as serious and said it raised questions about the Election Commission's independence and credibility. He has demanded that Kumar step down from the post of Chief Election Commissioner.

The controversy comes amid a wider political dispute over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with opposition parties questioning several aspects of the exercise and demanding greater scrutiny of the poll panel's functioning.