Indian Opposition Accuses Chief Election Commissioner of 'One-Man Autocracy'
Expansive red flags raised by two Election Commissioners within the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ list triggered a massive political storm on Wednesday, September 23, with the Opposition accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of indulging in “one-man autocracy” and demanding his removal. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, September 23, accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and election officials of wrongdoing and issued a warning, saying that the “time will come, we will not spare you”. Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi said, “‘Vote chori’ is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our Constitution.” “The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” he said. Gandhi also shared a video in which he said, “Main Election Commission aur election officers ko saaf keh raha hoon. Aap jo kar rahe ho, galat kar rahe ho (I am clearly telling the Election Commission and election officers: What you are doing is wrong).” “ Ye treason hai. Yeh rajdroh hai. Time aayega! Hum aapko pakdenge, bachne wale nahi ho (This is treason. This is an act of sedition. The time will come! We will catch you; you will not be able to escape),” he added. The controversy follows an investigative report by The Indian Express claiming that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi flagged multiple issues, including the deletion of names, in various states during the voter roll cleanup, but the poll body was unanimous in its decisions on the pan-India SIR of the voters’ list. All three Commissioners have supervised the national rollout of the SIR. 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. They were kept in the dark about certain matters and issues concerning the SIR, the report said. The Election Commission of India has rejected the report. The Opposition has accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of indulging in “one-man autocracy” and demanding his removal. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that all decisions taken by the poll body in recent years should be reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee. He also demanded that the SIR process be immediately suspended. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared the screenshot of the media report on X. Ramesh said that on behalf of the party, his colleague Abhishek Singhvi will be speaking in detail to the media on the sensational revelations made in the leading national newspaper on the way “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 Honble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. It has not been prorogued!” Congress general secretary in-charge, organisation KC Venugopal said there is no doubt remaining that Kumar has no right to remain in office. “How the hell can one man, acting on His Master’s orders, strike off names at whim? How can he sideline fellow Constitutional officers to only take blatantly illegal steps that put our democracy in danger?” he said. “The right to vote is an essential Constitutional power given to every citizen, the fundamental bedrock of our democracy. If it is to be taken away, due process must be followed with utmost probity,” he said. “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. Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera lashed out at Kumar, saying he is “planted” and being “protected” by the BJP to hollow out the Election Commission of India from within. “It was already known that things were not exactly well within the ECI. But just how messy, dysfunctional and, frankly, disturbing things had become is laid bare by this brilliant expose by @IndianExpress,” he said on X. Kumar has to be the single most sold-out bureaucrat of the Modi era who has disenfranchised crores of Indians, and he must face the law, he alleged. Congress MP Manish Tewari also reacted to the media report, saying that if the ostensible facts as reported are correct then it seems to suggest that there is an “invisible hand” running the Election Commission. “This is perhaps a fit case for serious considering an impeachment proceeding but more importantly the fundamental question is as to how will the credibility of @ECISVEEP be ever resurrected,” he said. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal demanded Kumar’s suspension and filing of an FIR to probe who is behind his actions. In a statement issued by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), it said the revelations raise serious questions not just about the process, but more importantly about the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) itself. “The disclosures have only strengthened suspicions and concerns that the CPI(M), other opposition parties and civil society organisations have all along raised since the SIR process was initiated,” the CPI(M) said. The Left party said that, according to the law, all three election commissioners are equal and any difference should be settled by a majority or unanimity. “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,” it said. The CPI(M) accused the CEC of falsely claiming that the entire process is transparent and decentralised, and said it is now clear that over the past few months the entire system has been centralised to the extent that it obscures who is actually taking decisions. “People have lost confidence in a compromised Election Commission, for which CEC Gyanesh Kumar should be held accountable. He cannot continue in office any longer.” “Parliament must immediately start the process for the removal of the CEC. We had in fact submitted a notice for removal on 24th April, 2026 as per the constitutional stipulations – solid grounds and around 70 members signing 50 in the stipulated number,” it said. Rajya Sabha MP and CPI (M) leader John Brittas called Kumar’s act the death knell of a democratic nation. “Remove the CEC. Strike down the SIR. Or accept that free and fair elections in India are already being buried,” the CPI(M) MP said. 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 the Chairman of the RS moving a motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. After the big news broke today that two Election Commissioners objected to many of the CEC’s actions, it’s time to bring out the RS Motion today. Impeach CEC to save democracy”. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded jail for Gyanesh Kumar. “I thank Election Commissioners (ECs) Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi for exposing Gyanesh Kumar. The court should take cognisance of the issue,” he said. He also demanded that the last elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu be nullified and repolls be held in these states using ballot papers. Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also demanded that the entire SIR exercise be cancelled and that the CEC be immediately arrested. “For several months, meetings of the Election Commission have not been taking place, while Gyanesh Kumar has continued issuing orders on his own. Therefore, the entire SIR process, through which 13 crore names have been deleted across the country, is illegal because the Election Commission has not officially approved it,” he said in a press conference. “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,” the AAP chief said. Kumar should be arrested and a case of sedition should be registered against him, he added. As per the Indian Express story, Kumar has been running the Election Commission on his own for the last few years, he claimed. “Both the Election Commissioners — Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have repeatedly submitted written complaints that orders are being issued to officers below them without the approval or authorisation of the Election Commission,” Kejriwal said. “There cannot be a bigger scam in this country than this. If the entire voter list is being prepared from the Election Commission’s central office, and if the voter list is not being prepared by the ERO or by the SDM, then the voter list of the entire country has effectively become compromised,” he added. In the wake of the Indian Express report, EC officials said the two commissioners had flagged decisions taken during the poll roll cleanup and handling of the voter database in various states. EC sources maintained that all decisions of the Election Commission of India, including SIR, have been unanimous and with the approval of both the Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.
