OPPOSITION DEMANDS CEC GYANESH KUMAR’S REMOVAL OVER REPORTED EC DIFFERENCES

September 23, 2026

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Wednesday intensified their demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, following a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral-roll management and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Manish Tewari and Mohamed Javed questioned the functioning and transparency of the poll panel. CPI(M) MP John Brittas called for parliamentary action against Kumar, while TMC leader Derek O’Brien referred to an earlier Rajya Sabha removal motion and called for it to be brought forward again. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also criticised the CEC. These statements represent opposition parties’ positions and allegations, not judicial findings.

According to the reported objections, Sandhu and Joshi raised concerns over matters including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, appeals concerning electoral-roll decisions, changes to Form 6, and access to electoral-roll databases. The Indian Express report said some decisions were allegedly taken without their knowledge.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion of a decision-making breakdown. It said individual observations, queries and suggestions are part of internal deliberations in a multi-member constitutional body and maintained that all final decisions, including those relating to SIR, were taken unanimously by the three commissioners.