New Delhi [India], September 25 : A major political confrontation has erupted between the ruling party BJP and the Opposition following an Indian Express report claiming internal dissent within the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with Opposition parties demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed the allegations as "baseless excuses" aimed at deflecting from electoral defeats, Union Minister and key NDA ally Chirag Paswan struck a cautious note, urging the poll panel to "firmly present its side" to safeguard public trust in the electoral process.
The escalating row has seen leaders across the Opposition spectrum, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Left, launch an offensive alleging a "murder of democracy," demanding file disclosures, and calling for an immediate halt to the revision exercise, even as the ECI maintained that all final decisions regarding the SIR were taken unanimously.
Emphasising the need for institutional transparency, Union Minister Chirag Paswan stated that the Election Commission must firmly present its position on questions being raised over the electoral process, stressing that public trust in elections should be maintained amid the ongoing political row over the SIR of electoral rolls.
Speaking on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Paswan said the Commission, particularly the CEC, has a responsibility to address concerns raised by the Opposition.
"If such questions are being raised against the Election Commission, I believe it is also the responsibility of the Election Commission, especially the CEC, to firmly present its side. I don't care what the opposition says because it is their job to do politics," Paswan told reporters.
"The Election Commission must maintain the trust of the people because if doubts arise in the public's mind about the electoral process itself, that would be wrong. In such a situation, the Election Commission should firmly put forth its points so that no doubts arise in the people's minds," he added.
Pushing back aggressively against the allegations, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, speaking in Amritsar, questioned the credibility of the charges and asked how the Congress could have won elections in Keralam if the poll body was biased.
"Rahul Gandhi has uttered all wrong facts. If the Election Commission is not right, then how did you win in Keralam? Rahul Gandhi is making completely false allegations," Meghwal told ANI.
Echoing similar sentiments, BJP MP Ashok Bajpai remarked: "Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly rejected by people in elections. Congress has lost its ground."
In West Bengal, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya came out strongly in support of the Chief Election Commissioner, arguing that he deserved national honours for conducting peaceful elections and purifying electoral rolls.
"The fact is, even the Congress party itself doesn't heed Rahul Gandhi's words; they don't take him seriously... Gyanesh Kumar deserves, at the very least, the Padma Bhushan," Bhattacharya said.
Lauding the conduct of elections and administrative measures in the state, the BJP leader said: "The people of West Bengal are delighted that, after so long, intimidation was kept at bay. There were no incidents of murder, and people were actually allowed to cast their votes. Furthermore, in a border state like this, Gyanesh Kumar took the initiative to remove the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators from the voter lists."
"The people of West Bengal have rarely witnessed an election like this. Therefore, the general public of West Bengal fully supports Gyanesh Kumar," Bhattacharya added.
Rejecting the BJP's counter-attack, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi asserted that the issue could not simply be brushed aside as a routine political dispute.
"I'm sorry, that's a very stale and weak story. There are facts, there is evidence. It is there for the whole country to see. My brother has shown it in many different press conferences. He has put the evidence forward. Now it is very clear, 13 crore voters have been deleted. This is a lame excuse, and the BJP should stop making lame excuses," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi further alleged that any interference in the electoral process amounted to a grave assault on constitutional democracy: "If they are meddling with our elections, and if their leadership is making the Election Commission do this, then it is an act of treason and they should be aware of it. And they should take ownership. If they are doing it, then why can't they say it? What are they scared of?"
Demanding institutional accountability, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said the CEC should step down on his own accord over the reported differences within the multi-member body.
"Those who caused these differences in the Election Commission should resign on their own. The entire Opposition and all those who want to save democracy are demanding that when such allegations have been levelled, the CEC should resign on his own and leave. He snatched away the election," Yadav said.
Former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram challenged the ECI's claim of unanimity, demanding that the relevant official records be made public.
"Our accusation is that the Chief Election Commissioner is doing the work of the BJP. He represents the BJP. If the Election Commission has issued a statement that all decisions were taken unanimously—then make the files public," Chidambaram told ANI.
In a post on X, former Keralam Chief Minister and State Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan called for the immediate removal of Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the ongoing revision exercise.
"The revelations about objections raised by two Election Commissioners over decisions concerning voter registration, deletion of names and #SIR raise grave questions about the functioning of the ECI. CEC Gyanesh Kumar must be removed, SIR must be halted, the voting rights of those wrongfully excluded must be restored, and the independence and credibility of the Election Commission must be protected," Vijayan said.
"The right to vote belongs to the people of India. It cannot be manipulated to serve the political interests of the BJP and Sangh Parivar," he added.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut launched a scathing attack during a press briefing, alleging widespread institutional capture.
"Authoritarian decisions have been taken in every sector, and democracy has been murdered," Raut said. "Indira Gandhi was the greatest guardian of democracy. Had she wished, she could have won elections through fraud, but she chose not to and accepted defeat."
Alleging that key offices had been compromised, Raut added: "A mafia-like gang has captured all institutions. Everyone, including the President and the Supreme Court, has been reduced to servitude. Change will come in 2029. Even if their own fathers were to step down [to stop it], the change would still happen."
Highlighting past parliamentary manoeuvres, Raut noted: "A notice for impeachment against Gyanesh Kumar was submitted earlier but was rejected by the Rajya Sabha Chairman; now, it cannot be dismissed. If Modi and Shah do not intend to attend Parliament, then lock up the Parliament."
In Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav accused the Commission of functioning as a political arm of the ruling party.
"The way elections are being conducted, the Election Commission is working at the behest of the BJP. This became clear when two Election Commissioners made a revelation, and since then, this matter has come to light through a newspaper for everyone to see," Yadav told reporters.
Terming the situation a "murder of democracy," the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister demanded penal action: "We all want him (Gyanesh Kumar) to resign and be arrested. This is injustice; democracy is being murdered."
Announcing a statewide agitation, Yadav added: "Today, the Rashtriya Janata Dal held protests in many districts of Bihar... If there is no arrest, a long fight will ensue. We will fight against this injustice."
Earlier today, Congress workers also staged demonstrations in several other states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.
The protest was part of the Congress nationwide programme against the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Opposition parties’ remarks come after a political firestorm erupted following an investigation by The Indian Express, which revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly flagged procedural changes that were allegedly executed without the full Commission's approval.
The flagged changes include centralisation of the ERONET electoral roll database, alterations to new voter registration forms (Form 6), and decisions regarding voter list deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Indian Express reported 14 formal written dissents over 10 months by ECS Sandhu and Joshi over decision-making under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The key issues flagged include rapid centralisation of the ERONET electoral roll database platform, unilateral changes made to new voter registration forms in Form 6 and decisions regarding voter list deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Election Commission clarified that internal technical notes and written queries are standard procedure in a multi-member body. It assured that all final decisions regarding the SIR process were taken unanimously and have full legal sanction.
The ECI maintained that all final decisions taken by the Commission, including those related to the SIR exercise, were unanimous and carried the approval of all three commissioners.
While the BJP and the ECI continue to defend the legitimacy and transparency of the SIR exercise, Congress and other Opposition parties have intensified their demands for accountability and a thorough review of electoral roll revision.