In New Delhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has leveled serious accusations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming that the organization has committed ‘treason’ by engaging in ‘vote chori’—a term he uses to describe alleged electoral misconduct. His comments follow a report indicating that two Election Commissioners formally objected to decisions made during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This development raises significant concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in India.
In a video message, Gandhi addressed the EC and election officials.
What did Election Commissioners object to?
The EC has rejected the allegation that the reported objections amounted to a split in the three-member poll panel. “Even before the Bihar elections, I had said that all that remains is to hand over the victory certificate; after the SIR, elections have lost all meaning. The Indian Express reported that Sandhu had asked who authorised appeals filed on behalf of the EC against decisions involving voters who had been included in the rolls.
However, a story in The Indian Express today has proven that they are winning elections through vote-rigging, with Gyanesh Kumar acting as the mastermind behind it. He also targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Election Commission over the allegations. “I am clearly telling the Election Commission and election officers: what you are doing is wrong. This is treason, it is against the nation. Do not forget this. The time will come! We will catch you! You will not be spared. Four objections were recorded on a single day. The purported objections involved several parts of the electoral-roll revision process. Another issue involved access to the electoral-roll database. He also questioned the authority of the EC’s IT division to restrict access available to statutory officials. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called on the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the report. This directly means that all election commissioners are not able to perform their rightful duties. If the members of an independent body do not have the freedom to carry out just actions or if there is no hearing of them, then these are extremely fatal and dangerous circumstances for democracy. For some people to betray democracy by becoming puppets of those in power is a grave constitutional crime. This is nothing less than a conspiracy to wipe out democracy. Congress MP Manish Tiwari alleged that the objections suggested the influence of an outside force on the commission. He also referred to the rules governing decision-making in the commission. “The rules of business of the Election Commission are very clear that all decisions have to be taken either by unanimity or by a majority vote. And every time, the point that emerged was that the two Election Commissioners were telling him, ‘Sir, your method is wrong. This centralized system you are creating to delete and add votes is improper. “Who will go to jail for that crime? Who will be arrested for it? Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested and put behind bars,” he added. Singh also demanded that elections in Bihar, Bengal, Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra be cancelled and fresh elections held. “With this Election Commissioner, with Gyanesh Kumar in place, no election across the country can ever be fair. Every election conducted so far, whether in Bihar, Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, or Maharashtra, every single one of them should be cancelled. Fresh elections should be conducted in this country. He alleged that names of several prominent politicians and officials had been removed or that they had received notices during the revision. These claims were not independently established in the report. “Until now, we used to hear allegations that PM Modi and Amit Shah were winning election after election by stealing votes. Kejriwal alleged that the CEC had bypassed the other two commissioners. “The Election Commission comprises three commissioners, and decisions are made by consensus. No single individual can issue orders; all three are equal, with the CEC merely chairing meetings. Yet, for the past few years, Gyanesh Kumar has been running the Commission single-handedly, issuing orders to subordinate officials without the requisite authority. Election Commissioner Sandhu wrote to the CEC stating that orders were being issued without the Commission’s approval and that information was being received via the media. EROs (Electoral Registration Officers) possess the authority to add or delete names from the electoral roll. However, both commissioners have alleged that the EROs’ access has been revoked and granted instead to individuals sitting within the Election Commission’s headquarters. The objections also included questions over the handling of appeals in West Bengal. He also asked who had filed those appeals and recorded that neither he nor Joshi nor the West Bengal chief electoral officer had been informed about the basis or process. The issue comes against the backdrop of ongoing legal proceedings over the West Bengal SIR. The court has questioned the basis of the notices and sought details from the poll body. Sandhu himself was among those who received an SIR notice in Delhi. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also received a notice, after which the discrepancy in her electoral details was verified and cleared. “There have been errors in the procedure from the beginning. They have come to the court’s attention as well. I have spoken about it, and the Election Commission has been making improvements. Rawat also referred to proceedings concerning West Bengal. “There is only one solution – all three commissioners should sit together and hold a press conference. All the facts should be laid out. He added that political parties could continue to protest and file objections, but the commission had to ensure that its own procedures were transparent and objective. “It is the job of political parties to protest, file objections and keep doing other things. But that is different. The report has given Opposition parties a new ammunition to attack Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The objections dealt with new voter registrations, deletion and restoration of names, appeals in SIR cases and the handling of electoral-roll data. The ECI’s official website lists all three as members of the commission.
If two of the election commissioners were objecting to these decisions, then obviously it goes to show that the decisions which have been taken… are per se arbitrary, capricious and therefore illegal,” he said. Our freedom fighters waged the struggle for independence so that everyone could secure the right to vote. Because the Election Commission is such an institution that has a reputation across the world for always delivering free, fair and credible elections, “This is very unfortunate, and it should never happen. Therefore, this dispute should be resolved by the election commissioners and the chief election commissioner by sitting together immediately,” he told ANI.
His comments followed an Indian Express report that claimed Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to electoral-roll revision. The objections were recorded on issues, including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, appeals in SIR cases, changes to Form 6 and access to electoral-roll data, according to the report. One dispute involved Form 6, which is used by citizens seeking inclusion in the electoral roll. Joshi had objected in May to changes made to the form during SIR, saying it could not be changed without an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, according to the report. Sandhu agreed with him on May 19. The additional question was removed on September 21, according to the report. “This is an extremely serious news that in the past 10 months, two election commissioners have registered their objections 14 times against the Election Commission’s wrong decisions. “Reports mention dissent being expressed 14 times. Now, if you wipe out 50,000 votes in a single constituency and the BJP wins by 5,000 to 8,000 votes, you can keep beating the drum of victory, but where was the election? Citing numbers from the SIR process, Singh said, “You struck off 60 lakh names, then added 33 lakh names, kept 27 lakh names pending and then claimed via affidavit that hearings were completed for 1.26 lakh people, out of which 93 per cent were found to be legitimate. He also alleged that the Form 6 changes made the voter registration process difficult. He also alleged that more than 13 crore names had been deleted during the three phases of SIR across 30 states and union territories. “The entire SIR process, through which over 13 crore names were deleted, is illegal; the SIR process must be scrapped. All changes made to the voter list over the past two or three years must be revoked, and the voter list from three years ago restored; the changes made to ‘Form 6’ are illegal,” he said. The EC recently told the Supreme Court that 27.16 lakh voters had been deleted and 22.21 lakh of them had filed appeals seeking restoration of their names. The commission also said 38.31 lakh appeals were pending before tribunals, including petitions seeking deletion of names. “But the decision made by the Appellate Tribunal regarding West Bengal, where 93 percent of those whom you deleted were voters and were deprived of voting, is criminal negligence. On the reported 14 objections, he called for the commission to put the facts before the public. How ‘illegal’ deletions hit 13 crore voters during SIR; EC plays down expose New Delhi: Two election commissioners objected at least 14 times to decisions taken during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Earlier reporting noted: According to The Indian Express, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded their objections over the past 10 months to decisions and orders that they said were taken without their knowledge.
He said that “vote chori” was a “crime against the Indian people” and a direct attack on the Constitution. ECI sources, cited by ANI, said all decisions, including those related to the SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and both election commissioners. After the change was reported in July, Sandhu wrote to officials on August 13 and described the changes on the portal as “unauthorised/illegal”. He called for them to be removed so eligible first-time voters could register “without any harassment”. Joshi had flagged the “gradual centralisation of the electoral roll database” and proposed an audit to establish that only statutory authorities responsible for electoral rolls had the credentials needed to make changes. Sandhu later raised a similar issue, saying some state-level officials did not have “proper and complete access” to ERONet, the system used to manage electoral rolls. The two commissioners separately wrote to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan over changes in work allocation that they said affected oversight of the IT system handling electoral-roll data. The Supreme Court, take suo motu cognizance.” he said. “If the two election commissioners were repeatedly objecting to each and every decision which was being taken with regard to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, and the revision still continued to go on, this means that there is an invisible hand beyond the Election Commission which seems to be running the commission,” he said. He said the developments could provide grounds for seeking Kumar’s removal. “This perhaps constitutes a fit case for impeachment, for the credibility of the Election Commission as a neutral arbiter of the electoral processes, beginning with the delineation of the electoral roll,” he said. AAP MP Sanjay Singh described the SIR exercise as “electoral loot” and demanded cancellation of recent elections. Yet, Gyanesh Kumar continued to take unilateral decisions,” he said. That was a robbery,” he said. Singh alleged that the changes were driven by “PM Modi, Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar”. “This means these elections have not been won due to Narendra Modi’s popularity; all these elections were not won because of Narendra Modi’s ‘lok-priyata’ but due to ‘loot priyata’,” he said. Otherwise, what meaning is left of democracy?” he said. “They deliberately designed such a convoluted process so that no ordinary person could ever complete it,” he said. We demand that Gyanesh Kumar be arrested and prosecuted, and that the elections held in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra be annulled and re-conducted,” he said. Another commissioner, Joshi ji, wrote that circulars were being issued without the Commission’s approval; any orders issued without such approval are illegal,” he said. The SIR dispute is also playing out in Delhi, where the apex court has sought answers from the EC over notices issued to voters for “logical discrepancies”. More than 47 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral roll in Delhi, while more than 33 lakh voters received notices relating to “logical discrepancies” or being unmapped with the previous SIR. His case related to a “self name mismatch”, and his entry was later verified and validated by the ERO. Former Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat described the differences within the poll panel as “very unfortunate” and called for the three commissioners to resolve the matter directly. On the SIR process, he said that there had been procedural errors and that the EC had made changes after matters reached the courts. They improved it gradually,” he said. The Election Commission should take some action on this immediately or the entire FIR procedure should be stopped,” he said. Everything will be clarified, and their image, which is being tarnished, will be saved from being further damaged,” he said. You have to keep your own procedure satisfactory, objective and transparent and ensure that injustice is not done to anyone,” he said.
Earlier reporting noted: ‘One-man autocracy’? Earlier reporting noted: The Election Commission (EC) is a three-member constitutional body headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with Sandhu and Joshi serving as the two other election commissioners.
More Opposition leaders attack poll panel
“Now, it is revealed that the decision-making process was also wrong. After the big news break today that two Election Commissioners objected to many of CEC’s actions, it’s time to bring out the RS Motion today. “The news stories in the Indian Express today, if correct, shake the foundations of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Opposition leaders stepped up their attacks on Kumar after the report, demanding his removal and questioning how decisions were being taken within the commission. Impeach CEC to save democracy,” he wrote on X. TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee demanded Kumar’s removal and a court-monitored investigation. “The CEC must be removed immediately and a court monitored investigation ordered. Disenfranchising lakhs of voters to allegedly benefit one political party strikes at the very foundation of our democracy. “The Supreme Court cannot look away. The buck stops there. Will the CJI led Bench act?” he added. If two ECs have taken a contrary view, how could the CEC make his view the ‘decision’ of the ECI?” he asked. Chidambaram demanded a Parliamentary Committee review of ECI decisions taken in recent years and called for the SIR process to be suspended across the country. AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj called on Opposition parties to unite against Kumar. “All Opposition parties should join hands and fix this CEC first. CPI(M) MP John Brittas also attacked Kumar. “This is no longer an Election Commission. It is a one-man autocracy under CEC Gyanesh Kumar!! Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal alleged that Kumar did not have majority support among the three EC members. “It seems some people in this country still have a conscience… look at the kind of irregularities taking place in the Election Commission. There used to be a single member; now, there are three. It has been established that the majority was not with Gyanesh Kumar. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded action against Kumar and also attacked the Union government. “Gyanesh Kumar should be suspended, and legal action should be taken against him. In this country, elections have become a farce. ECI comes under the Home Ministry. The number one criminal is Amit Shah. If the PM wants to save the nation, he should remove Amit Shah from the Cabinet. If Modi ji doesn’t take action, then I will urge the President, who is the chief of all three security forces, to remove Gyanesh Kumar. “There is no doubt remaining. Mr. Gyanesh Kumar has no right to remain in office. How the hell can one man, acting on His Master’s orders, strike off names at whim? Singh also criticised the Supreme Court, saying, “This is an outright robbery, and what grieves me is that the Supreme Court is sitting with a blindfold on. Even the Supreme Court is playing the role of Dhritarashtra in this entire matter. AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal also demanded Kumar’s arrest and prosecution and called for recent Assembly elections in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra to be annulled and re-conducted.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said that more than 60 Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs had submitted a notice of motion seeking Kumar’s removal. “Five months ago, 60+ Rajya Sabha MPs (50 needed) wrote to Chairman RS moving Motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. There are two separate points: 1. Decision; and 2. Two Election Commissioners have formally objected 14 times in 10 months,” he posted on X. He used to act arbitrarily; Mr Joshi and Mr Sandhu questioned his working methods on 14 occasions,” he alleged.
Justice will be served,” the leader of Opposition said in a post on X. Those responsible must be held accountable,” he said. Congress leader P Chidambaram said the report raised two separate issues – the decisions themselves and the process through which they were taken. Decision-making process,” he said. “The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that if the decision-making process is flawed or wrong, the decision will also be flawed or wrong,” he added. Everything else is secondary,” he said in a post on X. If the President also takes no action, then the Army Chief should come forward to save the country from such ‘hukumshahon’ (dictators),” he told ANI. Venugopal had said.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal had earlier demanded Kumar’s removal.
