New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Amid an ongoing political row over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a cryptic post on social media, saying that rough conditions can also bring a sense of calm.
“I love swimming in the sea when it's rough. It teaches you that rough is just another kind of calm,” Gandhi posted on X.
I love swimming in the sea when it's rough. It teaches you that rough is just another kind of calm.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 27, 2026
The post comes amid criticism from Opposition parties over the functioning of the poll panel following an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise.
The report said the two Election Commissioners had raised objections over certain decisions and orders issued without their knowledge.
The development also comes a day after Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of “match-fixing elections”.
Gandhi cited a media report regarding former Keralam Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson’s claim that Kumar had approached him in 2016 and suggested that he contest the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket.
“First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India's elections,” Gandhi said in his post.
According to the report cited by Gandhi, Thomson claimed that the conversation took place on a flight to Delhi around the time of his retirement. He said Kumar suggested that he contest the 2019 election as a BJP candidate, become an MP and subsequently a minister. Thomson said he declined the purported offer.
The ECI, however, has rejected allegations of disagreement over its SIR decisions, maintaining that decisions related to the exercise were taken with the “unanimous approval of the Commission”.
The poll body also clarified that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation and was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division. (ANI)
