New Delhi, Sept. 24: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of failing to protect voters’ rights amid a row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi called Kumar a “deshdrohi” and alleged that votes were being stolen. He argued that if elected representatives reached Parliament through compromised elections, questions would also arise over the legitimacy of laws passed by them.
Gandhi also alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were rigged. He said he was making the allegations based on what he described as evidence and not speculation.
Rahul Gandhi Raises Questions Over SIR
Gandhi’s remarks came after a report by media said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on several issues related to electoral-roll management and the SIR exercise.
According to the report, the two commissioners recorded at least 14 objections over 10 months. The concerns reportedly covered voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, Form 6 and access to electoral-roll databases.
Gandhi said the reported objections showed that questions had been raised within the Election Commission itself. He demanded that Kumar step down and also urged him to “turn approver” over what Gandhi described as wrongdoing.
The Congress leader linked the issue to what he called “vote chori”, arguing that the vote forms the foundation of the Constitution, laws and institutions.
He also questioned why anti-incumbency, which he said had affected successive governments and political parties in the past, appeared to have weakened in recent elections. Gandhi cited electoral changes in states including Haryana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh while making the argument.
BJP Rejects Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations
The BJP rejected Gandhi’s allegations and criticised his press conference. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari described it as a “damp squib” and accused Gandhi of being frustrated with his party’s inability to gain public support through democratic means.
The Election Commission has also rejected the suggestion that the reported objections represented a breakdown in decision-making within the poll panel.
The ECI said written observations, queries and suggestions made during the drafting process were part of normal institutional deliberations. It maintained that final decisions, including those concerning the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously.
The dispute over the internal objections has now become a major political issue, with the Congress and other Opposition parties questioning the functioning of the poll panel, while the Election Commission maintains that its final decisions remain unanimous.
For now, Gandhi’s allegations about electoral rigging and “vote chori” remain political claims and have not been established as findings by an election authority or court.
Now you can get the latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram every day. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Indtoday’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. For all the latest Hyderabad News updates and Follow us on GoogleNews
