New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of single-handedly orchestrating a widespread vote-rigging scheme and running the Election Commission of India (ECI) like a dictator.
Speaking at a press conference, the AAP leader Kejriwal demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be arrested and prosecuted under sedition charges. He further called for the immediate annulment and re-polling of recent assembly elections conducted across multiple key states and Union Territories, including Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra.
Citing a media report published by The Indian Express, he asserted that earlier allegations of electoral manipulation against the ruling party have now been confirmed, alleging that the CEC served as the "mastermind" behind the operation.
"Until now, we used to hear allegations that PM Modi and Amit Shah were winning election after election by stealing votes. However, a story in The Indian Express today has proven that they are winning elections through vote-rigging, with Gyanesh Kumar acting as the mastermind behind it. We demand that Gyanesh Kumar be arrested and prosecuted, and that the elections held in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra be annulled and re-conducted," he said.
Kejriwal said that the Election Commission operates as an equal three-member body where all decisions must be made by consensus or majority vote. He accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of bypassing his fellow Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, to issue unauthorised executive orders to subordinate staff.
"The Election Commission comprises three commissioners, and decisions are made by consensus. No single individual can issue orders; all three are equal, with the CEC merely chairing meetings. Yet, for the past few years, Gyanesh Kumar has been running the Commission single-handedly, issuing orders to subordinate officials without the requisite authority. Election Commissioner Sandhu wrote to the CEC stating that orders were being issued without the Commission's approval and that information was being received via the media. Another commissioner, Joshi ji, wrote that circulars were being issued without the Commission's approval; any orders issued without such approval are illegal," he said.
Kejriwal underlined that 13 crore voter names were reportedly purged from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, further demanding that the SIR process be completely scrapped and called for the voter lists to be rolled back to their status from three years ago, arguing that procedural alterations made to Form 6 were entirely illegal.
"The entire SIR process, through which over 13 crore names were deleted, is illegal; the SIR process must be scrapped. EROs (Electoral Registration Officers) possess the authority to add or delete names from the electoral roll. However, both commissioners have alleged that the EROs' access has been revoked and granted instead to individuals sitting within the Election Commission's headquarters.Our freedom fighters waged the struggle for independence so that everyone could secure the right to vote. All changes made to the voter list over the past two or three years must be revoked, and the voter list from three years ago restored; the changes made to 'Form 6' are illegal," he said.
The AAP leader reitriated that Gyanesh Kumar must be arrested and charged with sedition. Terming this as "the biggest scandal in independent India," he noted that the Aam Aadmi Party will consult with all opposition parties regaridng the matter.
"This country belongs neither solely to the opposition nor to the ruling parties, it belongs to all of us. Everyone must come together to raise their voice," he said. (ANI)
"Gyanesh Kumar acting as mastermind": Arvind Kejriwal demands arrest of CEC, alleges electoral rigging
