‘Trust in Election Commission blown to shreds’: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on September 23 accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of damaging public trust in the Election Commission, as opposition parties stepped up their criticism following reports of objections raised by two Election Commissioners over decisions linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Gogoi questioned the credibility of the poll panel and alleged that Kumar had shown “immense loyalty” towards Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also suggested that Kumar could be considering a future political role.

“Gyanesh Kumar has shown immense loyalty towards Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi. Now, to advance his career, he should think ahead—he should consider going to the Rajya Sabha, dream of entering the Rajya Sabha, or dream of becoming a minister,” Gogoi said.

He further alleged that public confidence in the Election Commission’s impartiality had been severely affected.

“The trust that the entire nation had in the Election Commission being impartial—that trust has been completely blown to shreds,” he said.

Gogoi also demanded that the 2023 law providing protection to the Chief Election Commissioner be declared unconstitutional and called for the pending Rajya Sabha motion seeking Kumar’s removal to be taken up.

His remarks came after reports claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months regarding decisions connected to electoral rolls and the SIR process. The reported objections included issues concerning Form 6, voter additions and deletions, control of electoral databases and the implementation of decisions taken by electoral authorities.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas separately wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking what he called “urgent constitutional intervention” over the functioning of the Election Commission and the integrity of electoral rolls.

Brittas said the reported developments raised questions about the functioning of the Election Commission as a multi-member constitutional body under Article 324 and sought safeguards to prevent eligible voters from being excluded.

He also raised concerns about reported changes to Form 6, the statutory form used for voter registration, and sought clarity on the control and access of electoral databases as well as the authorisation of appeals by the poll panel.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions of an internal split. Sources within the poll body said all decisions, including those concerning SIR, had been taken unanimously with the approval of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and both Election Commissioners.

The Commission also maintained that raising questions or expressing views during internal deliberations was part of its normal functioning and that, in the event of disagreement, decisions could be taken by majority.

The controversy has also brought renewed focus on the opposition’s pending efforts to seek Kumar’s removal. A fresh notice was submitted in the Rajya Sabha in April, signed by 73 opposition MPs, citing alleged “proved misbehaviour”. A similar notice submitted in the Lok Sabha was rejected by Speaker Om Birla, while the Rajya Sabha motion was also rejected by Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.