Election Commissioner Resignation Demand
Congress Leader P Chidambaram Demands Chief Election Commissioner Resignation Over Voter Row
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Senior Congress MP P. Chidambaram has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a massive voter-deletion row, warning that public protests will escalate if he doesn't step down ANI. The controversy centers on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which The Indian Express revealed deleted 13.3 crore voters with limited transparency and internal dissent from the other two commissioners.
Chidambaram stated there is currently no evidence against Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, but said the Congress would demand their resignations if evidence emerged Asianet News. He called on state election officials to publicly disclose instructions they received for the SIR process, as opposition parties demand an independent judicial probe into the electoral roll changes.
Inside Evidence of Dissent Within Election Commission
The Indian Express published an investigative report revealing that Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi submitted written objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions made without full commission consensus The Indian Express. Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi flagged data-integrity concerns and proposed an audit of the voter-database changes. Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu formally noted that state-level election officials lacked complete databases needed for the revision exercise.
The ECI issued a joint statement maintaining that internal deliberations are standard practice and all final SIR orders were approved unanimously. However, the exposure of internal tensions has intensified scrutiny of whether CEC Gyanesh Kumar operates the commission as a "one-man show," as critics allege.
Congress Accuses Government of Protecting Election Commissioner
Chidambaram told ANI that somebody in government is "protecting" and "encouraging" Gyanesh Kumar not to resign, and that "the wisest thing he can do is to resign now." He warned that public protests will intensify until Kumar steps down, a message backed by opposition INDIA bloc parties planning nationwide demonstrations ETV Bharat.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged on social media that thousands of young citizens are protesting against "vote theft" and systemic voter suppression. The Congress claims 13.3 crore voters were deleted through non-transparent, centralized processes without proper notice to affected citizens.
BJP Defends Election Process as Routine and Legal
BJP leaders Smriti Irani and J.P. Nadda defended the ECI, asserting that door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers follows established statutory procedures to eliminate duplicate and deceased voters. They accused the opposition of attempting to delegitimize constitutional bodies out of fear of electoral defeat, maintaining that the poll panel functions independently without political interference.
The ECI maintains that omitted voters retain the right to re-enrol using Form 6, and that the SIR is a transparent, statutory voter-verification drive governed by due process. However, opposition parties argue the process lacked transparency and proper notice to affected voters.
Supreme Court Set to Hear Challenges to Election Commission Process
The Supreme Court of India agreed to hear petitions challenging the CEC's administrative procedures and aspects of the SIR process. The Congress and opposition parties are demanding an independent judicial probe, suspension of the SIR exercise, and reversal of all Election Commission decisions made since May 2026 Rediff, when the revision exercise began.
Potential judicial scrutiny could freeze ongoing voter-roll revisions across multiple states. State election officials including Odisha's CEO have filed for premature retirement, while CEOs in Maharashtra and Karnataka raised procedural concerns about the voter-deletion process.
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