New Delhi: Congress general secretary KC Venugopal has demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, reacting to an Indian Express investigation that reported repeated objections by two other Election Commissioners over decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Venugopal accused the CEC of taking decisions that, in his view, undermine the electoral process. He questioned how decisions concerning voter registration and deletion could allegedly be taken without the concurrence of the other members of the three-member Election Commission.
Venugopal said there was “no doubt remaining” that Kumar should not continue in office and alleged that the CEC had sidelined fellow constitutional officers. He also raised concerns about the possible impact of electoral-roll revisions on citizens’ right to vote.
Indian Express Report Triggers Political Reaction
The Congress leader’s remarks followed an Indian Express report published on September 23, which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period concerning decisions and orders issued in the name of the Election Commission.
According to the report, the objections involved several aspects of the electoral-roll process, including changes to Form 6 used by new voters, deletion and restoration of names, access to electoral-roll databases and the centralisation of certain information-technology functions.
The report said the two Election Commissioners had described some decisions concerning new voters as “unauthorised” and “illegal”. It also reported that concerns had been raised over the increasing centralisation of electoral-roll database access.
The Election Commission, however, has disputed the suggestion that the panel was divided over the SIR process.
EC Says SIR Decisions Were Unanimous
Following the report, sources within the Election Commission said all decisions taken by the poll panel, including those related to the SIR exercise, had the approval of all three Election Commissioners.
The clarification is significant because the reported objections and the Commission’s response present two different accounts of how decisions concerning electoral-roll procedures were handled.
According to the Commission’s position reported by multiple news organisations, there was no formal dissent affecting decisions taken by the poll panel and the SIR process was approved unanimously.
The Indian Express investigation, meanwhile, reported that Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions and had raised concerns about specific administrative and technological decisions.
Concerns Over Form 6 and Electoral Data
One of the issues highlighted in the report concerns changes made to Form 6, which is used by citizens applying for inclusion in the electoral roll.
The report said the revised form introduced questions linked to previous SIR electoral rolls. It further reported that Joshi had raised concerns in May about the change and that Sandhu subsequently described the modification as “unauthorised and illegal”.
Another area of concern involved access to electoral-roll databases. The report said the two Commissioners questioned whether greater centralisation of access could limit the role of Electoral Registration Officers at the constituency level.
The reported dispute therefore extends beyond political allegations and involves questions about the internal administration of the constitutional election authority.
Venugopal Raises ‘Vote Chori’ Allegation
Venugopal also alleged that large numbers of genuine voters were being excluded from electoral rolls while bogus names were being added. He described Kumar as the “Chief Architect” of what Congress calls a nationwide “Vote Chori” exercise and alleged political involvement in the process.
These claims are allegations made by the Congress leader and have not been established as findings against the Election Commission or the CEC.
The controversy comes as the SIR exercise has expanded across the country. The Indian Express reported that more than 13 crore names had been struck off draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the exercise, a figure that has become a major point of political debate.
A Debate Over the Election Commission’s Functioning
The latest controversy has consequently developed along two parallel tracks. Opposition parties are questioning the functioning and decision-making process of the Election Commission based on the reported objections of two Commissioners. The Commission, on the other hand, has maintained that its decisions, including those concerning SIR, were unanimous.
For now, the central issue is the interpretation of the reported internal correspondence and whether the objections raised by the two Commissioners represented substantive disagreement over Commission decisions or were part of the internal administrative process.
Venugopal’s demand for Kumar’s removal adds a political dimension to the controversy, while the Election Commission’s response puts the focus on its assertion that decisions were collectively approved.
The developments are likely to keep scrutiny on the SIR exercise, electoral-roll procedures and the functioning of the three-member Election Commission in the coming days.
