Opposition Demands Removal of Election Commission Chief

Opposition parties are calling for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following claims of dissent within the Election Commission. The Indian Express reported that two of the three Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, raised objections 14 times over ten months, claiming major decisions were made without their knowledge and were “unauthorized and illegal.”

The opposition has asked the Supreme Court to take notice of the report. The Election Commission denied these allegations, stating all decisions were unanimous and approved by all members.

According to the report, the two commissioners raised concerns about the centralization of electoral rolls, changes to voter registration forms, and secret deletions of voter data. They also questioned the authority of the Chief Election Commissioner to make unilateral decisions.

Congress MP Manish Tewari called the actions “arbitrary and illegal,” while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav described the situation as a threat to democracy. CPI(M)’s John Brittas accused the commission of becoming a “one-man autocracy” under Gyanesh Kumar.

Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’ Brien mentioned that a motion to remove the CEC had already been drafted by 60 Rajya Sabha MPs. He urged immediate action to impeach Gyanesh Kumar to save democracy.