Full Breakdown
Election Commission Row: Opposition Challenges CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over SIR Roll Revision
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Opposition parties allege that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar acted unilaterally in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, bypassing the majority-decision rule of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act 2023. Two other Election Commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—recorded written objections on at least fourteen occasions between November 2025 and August 2026. The controversy has triggered calls for Kumar’s resignation, multiple Supreme Court petitions, and an upcoming INDIA-bloc meeting scheduled for 30 September 2026 to decide a coordinated response.
Background & Context
The SIR exercise, a periodic clean-up of voter lists, was ordered nationwide in mid-2025 and has been extended in several states. An investigative report by *The Indian Express* (23 September 2026) disclosed the internal dissent, prompting the opposition to label the move an “authoritarian” misuse of the Election Commission. The Supreme Court, in a verdict on 27 May 2026, upheld the statutory validity of the SIR process, but it is now hearing petitions that seek to declare unilateral CEC decisions unconstitutional.
Data & Statistics
- Objections recorded: 14 written dissents by Sandhu and Joshi (Nov 2025 – Aug 2026).
- Voter deletions claimed: 13 crore names removed across 30 states/UTs (petition); 47.6 lakh names deleted in Delhi (Congress protest).
- Appeals filed: 16.10 lakh appeals in West Bengal alleged to be generated in the name of the Commission.
- SIR timeline: Initial phase covered 20 states/UTs; deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra extended by roughly one month.
Official Statements & Responses
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dismissed the allegations as a pattern of “blaming EVMs” after electoral defeats.
Criticism & Opposition
Opposition leaders have framed the issue as a breach of constitutional safeguards. CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby called for a united “INDIA-bloc-Plus” campaign and an impeachment notice. Trinamool Congress national joint secretary Derek O’Brien said the removal of the CEC is “non-negotiable.” State-level Congress units staged protests, and five Left parties announced a nationwide agitation from 26 September to 2 October.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Scale of deletions: The petition cites 13 crore voters removed nationwide, while the Delhi Congress protest cites 47.6 lakh deletions in the capital alone. No independent audit has verified either figure.
- Nature of objections: The Election Commission describes the notes as “operational queries,” whereas the petition and opposition label them “institutional dissent.”
- Legal outcome: The Supreme Court has upheld the SIR’s statutory basis but has not yet ruled on the petitions seeking a judicial inquiry or criminal prosecution of the CEC.
What’s Next
The INDIA bloc will meet at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on 30 September 2026 to finalize a strategy that may include an impeachment notice in both Houses of Parliament. A public-interest litigation filed on 25 September 2026 seeks a high-powered Judicial Inquiry Commission and criminal prosecution of the CEC under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act 1950. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on the petition’s request that any decision taken without majority concurrence is “ultra vires and void.” Protests are slated to continue across multiple states until 2 October 2026, while the Election Commission has pledged to review its ECINET portal and reaffirm the unanimity of its SIR orders.