Rahul Gandhi attacked CEC Gyanesh Kumar over an Indian Express report detailing dissent by two ECs on voter list procedures. He alleged the constitutional chain is broken, called the situation 'unprecedented', and demanded the CEC's resignation.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi cited an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding procedures, database changes, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
'We are in unprecedented territory'
Responding to a question from ANI, Gandhi argued that the reported internal dissents signal a situation India has never confronted before, calling on the Chief Election Commissioner to step forward as an approver. "I said that he [CEC Gyanesh Kumar] should turn Approver... As I said earlier, this situation had never occurred in India. We are somewhere new now... We are suddenly finding ourselves where the chain between the vote, the laws, the institutions and the Constitution is broken. It's a new territory," said Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi contended that public faith in standard democratic structures has been deeply eroded, though widespread apprehension has kept people from voicing their concerns openly. "Everybody in India believes that the system is damaged. Many people believe that it has ceased to exist, and many people believe that it is damaged; there is nobody in their right mind in India who does not suspect that the system is damaged. There is fear, so people are scared to say it," he said.
However, he added that the objections raised by the two Election Commissioners mark a turning point, urging citizens and officials to speak out. "But the fear is reducing because 2 Election Commissioners who were scared to say it have said it. So, there are many patriotic people like those two gentlemen who are willing to say it, and it is most important for India's future that we say it. Because remaining silent on it is an anti-national act," said Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi demands CEC's resignation, names 'conspirators'
Labelling the situation an attack on the constitutional foundation of the country, Gandhi demanded the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the poll body of failing to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process and failing to protect against "vote chori" (voter theft). He directly named Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, accusing them of being "conspirators" in an alleged effort to steal elections. "This is the attack on the Constitution of India. Vote chori, kanoon chori and sanstha chori is going on. Deshdrohis will be punished," said Rahul Gandhi.
Outlining what he termed a complete chain of institutional collapse, Rahul Gandhi warned that compromising voter mandates undermines the legitimacy of Parliament and all laws passed within it. "I want to emphasise that from vote chori comes kanoon chori because if the vote is stolen, the legal structure is gone. And from kanoon chori comes sanstha chori institutions. And this is the chain that has taken place. Today the vote is gone; the law-making system is gone. Meaning, if the vote has been stolen and the MPs sitting in parliament are there based on a stolen vote, then any law they are making is illegal. Please let me repeat this if the votes are stolen and the MPs who have entered parliament have done so on a stolen vote, then any law that they have made is illegal. And any institutional change they make is also illegal," he said.
What the Indian Express report revealed
The political firestorm follows an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly flagged procedural changes allegedly executed without the full Commission's explicit approval. Over 10 months, 14 formal written dissents were recorded under CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The key issues flagged include rapid centralisation of the ERONET electoral roll database platform, unilateral changes made to new voter registration forms in Form 6 and decisions regarding voter list deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
ECI rejects dissent claims
The Election Commission of India has rejected the assertion that the reported objections represented structural or institutional dissent over final decisions. In a statement, the poll panel clarified that operational queries, internal feedback, and administrative suggestions raised during draft stages are standard practice within its decision-making framework. The ECI maintained that all final decisions taken by the Commission, including those related to the SIR exercise, were unanimous and carried the approval of all three commissioners.
While the BJP and the ECI continue to defend the legitimacy and transparency of the SIR exercise, Congress and other Opposition parties have intensified their demands for accountability and a thorough review of electoral roll revisions. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)