Full Breakdown
Controversy Over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar Intensifies
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 25, 2026, Kerala Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demand followed an Indian Express investigation published on September 23 that documented at least 14 objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to CEC decisions on voter-list management.
Background & Context
The Election Commission of India is conducting a country-wide SIR to purge ineligible names from the rolls for the first time since the mid-1990s. The Indian Express report alleged unilateral CEC orders, prompting written dissent from the two other commissioners. Former Kerala cadre IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar had served as Public Works Department secretary in the V.S. Achuthanandan-led LDF government and was removed in 2006 after a vigilance probe; he later moved to the Union Defence Ministry.
Official Statements & Responses
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra called the opposition’s criticism a “smear campaign” and framed dissent as evidence of a vibrant democracy. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi labelled Kumar a “traitor” and warned democracy was being “destroyed.” Advocate Tripathi, filing the Supreme Court petition, argued the CEC’s actions lack a “reasonable nexus” with official duties and fall outside protection of Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner Act 2023.
Criticism & Opposition
Congress leaders across states have demanded Kumar’s resignation and, in some statements, his arrest. The Cockroach Janta Party announced nationwide protests from October 2 if Kumar does not step down by September 26. Regional leaders such as Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and Himachal Congress president Rajani Patil echoed calls for removal, citing alleged voter-list manipulation favoring the ruling BJP.
On-the-Ground Reports
On September 25, 2026, Congress-led demonstrations erupted in Delhi, Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal and other states. Protesters marched toward state election-commission offices, burned effigies of the CEC and faced water-cannon and tear-gas. In Delhi’s Jantar Mantar activists were detained and reported police “manhandling.” Assam Congress president Gogoi and senior leaders were detained after attempting to breach police barricades near the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Decision-making: ECI says all SIR decisions were unanimous; the Indian Express and petition cite documented dissent.
- Deletion figures: Estimates range from ?13 crore nationwide deletions (petition) to 2.7 million in West Bengal and 47.6 lakh in Delhi (Congress claim). No independent audit of ECINet/ERONet logs has been made public.
- Legal immunity: Petition argues alleged manipulations fall outside the CEC’s statutory duties, while ECI asserts internal observations are part of normal checks.
What’s Next
- Nation-wide protests are scheduled from September 26 to October 2.
- The Supreme Court will hear the petition seeking criminal prosecution of the CEC and a Special Investigation Team probe; the filing references the July 28 IT-division order.
- The Congress Working Committee will discuss a parliamentary motion for Kumar’s removal on September 29.
The dispute pits the ECI’s institutional defence against a coalition of opposition parties, civil-society groups and legal challengers demanding transparency and accountability in the management of India’s electoral rolls.
