New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Wednesday demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the CEC has no "moral or institutional justification" to continue in office amid questions raised over the functioning of the Election Commission under his leadership.
Kumar said the reported objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on several occasions over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), voter additions and deletions, changes to Form 6 and electoral-roll data cannot be treated as a routine internal disagreement.
"The reported objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on at least 14 occasions over decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision, voter additions and deletions, changes to Form 6 and electoral-roll data cannot be dismissed as a routine internal difference. The deletion of more than 13 crore names from draft electoral rolls makes these questions even more serious," he said.
The CPI MP further said that the poll body is a constitutional body and not a personal institution of the Chief Election Commissioner, adding that its decisions cannot be driven by one individual while the views of other Commissioners are sidelined.
"The Election Commission is a constitutional body, not a personal institution of the CEC, and its decisions cannot be driven by one individual while the voices of other Commissioners are pushed aside. Gyanesh Kumar must step down and face an independent examination of these allegations," he said.
He alleged that the "deeper danger" was the growing politicisation of an institution whose independence is essential to democracy.
"In fact, the deeper danger is the growing politicisation of an institution whose independence is essential to democracy. The Election Commission can conduct elections only when citizens and political parties have confidence that it will act fairly, independently and transparently. Once that trust begins to disappear, the credibility of every election is affected," Sandosh Kumar added.
The CPI MP said that changes to voter-registration procedures, questions over access to electoral-roll systems and the scale of deletions require "full accountability".
"The SIR must be reviewed, every eligible voter wrongly excluded must have a genuine opportunity to restore their name, and the Commission must answer to the people of India. The independence and credibility of the Election Commission are not matters for any one political party-they are safeguards for democracy itself," he said.
His remarks came after a report by the Indian Express said that decisions taken on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process were objected to by two of the three Election Commissioners.
According to the report, "Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued without their knowledge."
Meanwhile, responding to the report, the Election Commission clarified that all its official orders carry full legal sanction under Article 324 and follow established statutory procedures.
The Commission maintained that internal notes, queries and differing observations during draft stages are standard deliberative checks and balances in a multi-member constitutional body aimed at safeguarding voter rights and refining electoral processes, rather than signs of institutional conflict.
Terming the report a selective portrayal that ignores the larger body of consensus, the ECI emphasised that all major decisions, electoral reforms and nationwide roll revisions, including SIR, in recent months were outcomes of unanimous decisions by the full Commission.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to executing its constitutional duties with complete integrity. (ANI)
CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over SIR row
