New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday alleged that questions raised by two Election Commissioners over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process had brought issues concerning the functioning of the Election Commission into focus, citing an Indian Express report which said that the commissioners had raised objections 14 times over a period of 10 months.
Kharge, in a post on X, said, "For several years now, the Congress Party and many opposition parties have been raising questions about the fairness of elections in the country. We continuously found the role of the Election Commission suspicious. When we raised questions, they were dismissed as a joke. The doors of the Commission were shut."
"Today, the same issue has come to light from within the Election Commission itself. Two out of three Election Commissioners objected in writing 14 times. Misuse of Form 6, misuse of software, tampering with voter lists, decisions without transparency—these are all now in front of the country. Then what did CEC Gyanesh Kumar do about these objections?" he asked.
The Congress president further alleged that 13.8 crore names had been removed from draft electoral rolls during the first three phases of SIR in 31 states and Union Territories.
"The Vote Chori and SIR that Shri Rahul Gandhi has continuously exposed before the country are now proving to be correct questions. This is tampering with democracy," Kharge said.
He also referred to a notice moved by opposition MPs seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
"On 24 April 2026, 73 opposition Rajya Sabha MPs had submitted a new Notice of Motion to the Secretary General to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The Monsoon Session of Parliament has not yet been prorogued. Will the Hon'ble Rajya Sabha Chairman now decide on that pending Notice?" Kharge asked.
"Today, the question is not just about Vote Chori. The question is about the government's takeover of India's democracy and its institutions. It is about their independence and impartiality," he added.
पिछले कई वर्षों से काँग्रेस पार्टी और कई विपक्षी दल देश में होने वाले चुनावों की निष्पक्षता पर सवाल उठा रहे हैं। हमें लगातार चुनाव आयोग की भूमिका संदिग्ध नज़र आ रही थी। जब हमने सवाल उठाया तो उसे मज़ाक़ में उड़ा दिया गया। आयोग के दरवाज़े बंद कर दिए गए।
आज चुनाव आयोग के भीतर से…
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also targeted CEC Gyanesh Kumar and alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner was not keeping other Election Commissioners informed about decisions.
"You see today's Indian Express news. Two Election Commissioners of this country—the report is very clear that two Election Commissioners of the country, they are not even informed of anything by the Chief Election Commissioner," Venugopal told ANI.
"For the last so many years, we have been raising this issue—the basic issue of democracy in this country. The Chief Election Commissioner is acting as an agent of the Prime Minister and the BJP. He is completely trying to cut the vote," he alleged.
Earlier, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that the report raised questions over the functioning of the Election Commission.
"BJP has set up an office dedicated to the murder of democracy. On one side, they have positioned the CEC, and on the other, the Ministry of Home Affairs. "The revelations made today indicate that the CEC did not merely mislead the nation or undermine its constitutional values... but also misled his own colleagues."
The Indian Express report had said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
The Election Commission sources, however, said that all decisions of the Election Commission of India, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of both Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.
Earlier, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Congress leader P Chidambaram, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj and CPI(M) MP John Brittas had also raised concerns over the report.
Opposition parties had earlier moved motions seeking the removal of Gyanesh Kumar. In April 2026, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said that 73 Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs submitted a fresh notice seeking the removal of the CEC on grounds of "proven misbehaviour".
Earlier in April, a similar notice was submitted in the Lok Sabha, which was rejected by Speaker Om Birla after consideration, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin. The Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan also rejected the motion. (ANI)
