Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi with CEC Gyanesh KumarThe Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have faced Opposition scrutiny after an Indian Express report revealed that two out of three Election Commissioners complained about being kept in the dark, adding new voters, and deleting names during the Special Intensive Revision. Calling the decisions regarding new voters “unauthorised and illegal,” Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi warned against voter database access being ‘centralised’ in Delhi, bypassing state officials. The Investigation has triggered a political storm with Opposition party leaders calling for the cancellation of SIR exercise and seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra hit back saying no constitutional body is under any dictatorial rule.
‘Gyanesh Kumar should step down’: The Congress on Wednesday launched a full-fledged attack with its prominent leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi calling the Election Commissioner’s alleged conduct an act of treason. They demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar to step down and said that “the BJP has opened an office for the murder of democracy”.
‘Arrest Gyanesh…conduct re-elections’: Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray has demanded for re-elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra while Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has sought for the immediate arrest of Gyanesh Kumar and cancellation of the entire SIR exercise.
The Express Investigation: ECs knocked on Cabinet Secretary’s door | Objection to Form 6 change | EC rift
The West Bengal unit of the CPI(M) demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after objections raised by the two election commissioners on the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists came into the open.
CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammed Salim said the report raised serious questions about the SIR process.
"Gyanesh Kumar should be removed from his position," Salim said.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and said the Indian Express report about objections raised by Kumar's colleagues proved that Rahul Gandhi was speaking the truth.
The Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was undermining the electoral process, he said.
Addressing Congress workers in Goa, Venugopal referred to the The Indian Express report about objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over various decisions concerning electoral rolls, including voter registration, deletion of names and access to electoral data.
"We have to protect our democracy. Today, we are shocked. The Indian Express has come out with the big story which is related to Goa elections too. Two Election Commissioners are coming forward, they wrote letters. Several times they reminded the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, don't destroy democracy. Don't destroy voters' list. Don't disturb the new voters," the Congress leader said.
If free and fair elections are to be ensured, it is axiomatic that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must not only be an independent body but also be seen to act independently, Supreme Court judge Justice Dipankar Datta was quoted as saying by PTI.
Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and sought fresh assembly polls in the state with the pre-SIR voter list. Banerjee, in a Facebook live, alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission had "looted" the West Bengal Assembly polls held earlier this year and claimed that voters were prevented from exercising their franchise.
PTI
As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi upped his ante against the Centre over rift within Election Commissioners during the SIR exercise procedures, his party colleague and former Chief Minister of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi wrote on X, "The truth @RahulGandhi
has fought to expose for years is now coming to light. Vote chori is a crime against our constitution, and the entire Congress party will make sure every person responsible is held accountable. Justice will be served. "
TMC MP Mahua Moitra says, " Every Opposition political party plus @Cockroachisback should have only one agenda now - remove Gyanesh Kumar. Nothing else matters. We cannot rely on the Courts. We can rely on nothing except ourselves and India’s young.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded to Express Investigation and said in a statement
"The developments emerging from within the Election Commission are deeply alarming for every citizen who believes in democracy
In a 3-member Commission, 2 Election Commissioners have recorded written objections to the Commission’s decisions and actions at least 14 times in the last 10 months
This is not merely an issue concerning the electoral process. It is a question concerning the future of India and the very survival of our democracy.
The Hon’ble President of India must immediately remove Gyanesh Kumar from office and direct the Union Government to initiate an investigation against him.
Free, fair and transparent elections are the soul of Indian democracy. The Election Commission is the constitutional institution entrusted with protecting the voting rights of citizens. But the developments now emerging from within the Election Commission itself are deeply disturbing for every citizen who values democracy.
According to an investigative report published by an English newspaper, two Election Commissioners -- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi -- have recorded written objections at least 14 times in the last 10 months to decisions and actions taken by the three-member Election Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
These are not ordinary differences of opinion. They concern serious issues such as the registration of new voters, addition and deletion of names from electoral rolls, control over the electoral-roll database and the SIR process.
The report states that one of the Election Commissioners objected to the insertion of a new question in Form 6, used for registering new voters, without carrying out the legally required amendment, describing the change as “unauthorised and illegal”. The investigation has also brought to light concerns over the gradual centralisation of the electoral-roll database and restrictions being placed on access for local election officials who are legally authorised to manage electoral rolls.
This is an extremely serious matter.
The management of electoral rolls must be transparent, decentralised and strictly in accordance with law. Yet two members of the Election Commission themselves have expressed concern over the “gradual centralisation” of the database.
The Election Commission must answer some fundamental questions: Who controls this highly sensitive electoral-roll system? Under whose authority are changes being made? Why do legally empowered officials at the state level not have complete access?
Similar serious questions have arisen in the West Bengal SIR process. After judicial officers ordered the inclusion of voters in the electoral rolls, who filed nearly 16 lakh appeals seeking their deletion? On whose authority were these appeals filed?
The investigation has revealed that Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu himself raised these questions with officials. According to him, neither he, the other Election Commissioner, nor even the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal had been informed about the basis of this process.
Even more disturbing is the fact that two members of the Election Commission reportedly objected to communications being issued and decisions being taken in the name of the Commission without their approval.
The Election Commission must function institutionally, in accordance with the Constitution and the law. Its functioning cannot be reduced to the decisions of a single individual.
Against this background, it is only natural that serious questions have arisen in the public domain about the functioning of the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Election Commission must not stand with any political party. It must stand with the Constitution and with the voter.
Today, it is essential to protect the autonomy and transparency of the institution so that there is not even a suspicion that electoral rules, voter lists or election procedures are being altered to favour the Union Government.
What the people of India need today is confidence in the Election Commission. But when two members of the Commission itself repeatedly raise objections, it inevitably damages public confidence in both the Election Commission and the electoral process.
In a democracy, winning or losing an election is not the most important issue. If even one eligible citizen is unjustly removed from the electoral roll, it is not merely the deletion of a name. It amounts to taking away that citizen’s constitutional right to vote.
This is therefore not merely an issue concerning election administration. It concerns the future of India and the survival of our democracy.
There must be complete transparency and a public explanation regarding the Election Commission’s recent functioning, the SIR process, changes made to electoral rolls and the disagreements within the Commission. Wherever necessary, there must also be an independent investigation.
The Election Commission must never become a puppet in the hands of any government. It is responsible for strengthening Indian democracy, preserving the credibility of our electoral system and protecting the voting rights of every eligible citizen.
If the Commission fails in this responsibility, we, as conscious citizens of this country, have a duty to raise our voices -- and we will.
I therefore strongly condemn what I see as the authoritarian functioning of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the decision-making of the Election Commission. Free, fair and transparent elections cannot be ensured if such a manner of functioning continues.
The conduct of the Chief Election Commissioner has raised grave concerns about the protection of citizens’ voting rights.
Taking this constitutional breach with the seriousness it deserves, I urge the Hon’ble President of India, as the guardian of the Constitution, to immediately remove Gyanesh Kumar from office and direct the Union Government to initiate an investigation against him."
On the EC-SIR row, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan says, “The revelation made today is extremely serious. It shows that the Election Commission has become the fiefdom of one person, Gyanesh Kumar. There are three Election Commissioners, and the other two have repeatedly raised objections to decisions of the Election Commission. Yet Gyanesh Kumar continues to do what he wants and ignores the other two Election Commissioners. An even more serious aspect of this revelation is that Gyanesh Kumar has centralised the entire IT system of the Election Commission to such an extent that all decisions are being taken centrally by the Election Commission in Delhi, including whose name should be added to the electoral roll, whose name should not be added and whose name should be deleted... This is such a serious matter that Gyanesh Kumar should not merely be removed from office; he should also be prosecuted. This is what needs to be done in this country.”
With PTI inputs
DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin responded to The Express Investigation and said in a post on X
"CEC Gyanesh Kumar Must Go: He Has No Right to Continue in Office! The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, along with other Opposition parties, has consistently opposed the move to delete crores of voters from the electoral rolls in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (#sir). Rushed through just months ahead of elections in State after State, the exercise was riddled with irregularities and sparked widespread unrest, particularly in West Bengal.
The explosive findings published by The @IndianExpress today, backed by evidence, have now cast serious doubts over the results of every Assembly election held after the SIR exercise. The investigation reveals that Chief Election Commissioner Thiru. #gyaneshkumar had been acting unilaterally and in secrecy, without the concurrence of the other two Election Commissioners. Even more alarming is the revelation that Thiru. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Thiru. Vivek Joshi were kept in the dark about crucial decisions being taken within the very institution they jointly oversee.
Their objections to decisions being taken without their knowledge were brushed aside on as many as 14 occasions in just ten months. These revelations have severely eroded the credibility of the Election Commission. The Election Commission is a three-member body whose business must, as far as possible, be transacted unanimously. Where the Commissioners differ in opinion on any matter, the decision must be based on the majority view.
If two of its three members were themselves kept unaware of what was being done in the Commission’s name, this cannot be dismissed as a mere internal or procedural matter. It constitutes a grave assault on Indian democracy. The credibility of an apex institution that is expected to function independently, transparently and without political interference has been seriously compromised. The revelations concerning the electoral rolls are equally disturbing.
Appeals were filed against the inclusion of voters even after courts had ordered that their names be added to the electoral rolls. Who authorised these appeals? Who filed them? The two Election Commissioners themselves say they were kept in the dark. The law empowers Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to scrutinise and revise electoral rolls. Yet, they were unable to add even those who had been duly found eligible to vote. ERONet, the digital platform through which these changes had to be made, was entirely under the control of one person.
When such concerns are being raised by two serving Election Commissioners, the extent of political interference that may have taken place within the Election Commission is plain to see. As early as March this year, the DMK, along with other Opposition parties, moved an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He has no right to continue in office any longer. Thiru. #gyaneshkumarmustgo immediately. The SIR exercise must be halted. The DMK demands a fair and thorough investigation into everything that has transpired within the Election Commission and that those responsible be held accountable."
Modi, Shah, CEC Gyanesh Kumar misusing and corrupting constitutional bodies, says RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in Patna.
PTI
Responding to The Express Investigation, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says, "It opens a lot of questions. We have had persistent complaints about the way in which the election commission has functioned. Before SIR became an issue for the rest of the country, for us delimitation was an issue. We believed that the process was opaque. The process was flawed, and the entire process was designed to benefit one political party and its friends. Given what has been shown, the internal sort of divisions within the Election Commission. Clearly, 'daal mein kuchh kala hai'. And the statement that they've (Election Commission) issued, it is even more damning."
While the Election Commission and the BJP are under fire after Express Investigation revealed that two out of three Election Commissioners complained about being kept in the dark, adding new voters, and deleting names during the Special Intensive Revision, saffron party spokesperson Sambit Patra is holding a press conference.
Patra says, "You know how, since 2014, when the Modi government came to power, opposition parties have been falling one after another. They did not fall on a battlefield, but in the democratic arena, as their existence came under threat because they were not chosen by the people. After that, particularly the Congress party realised that it could not win elections, and so the biggest weapon in its hands was to 'kill the institutions of the country'. It began attacking our constitutional institutions and trying to defame them. In the same context and as part of the same campaign, several parties have held press conferences today regarding the Election Commission of India. I am not here to hold a press conference on behalf of the Election Commission of India. I have brought the press note issued by the ECI, and I have read it. I hope you have also read it.
He adds,"... If the three Election Commissioners who conduct elections in the country do not communicate with each other, do not exchange views or consult one another, and simply keep agreeing with each other, then the Opposition parties say, 'This is a dictatorship.' They say, 'This government appointed all three of them, and they simply keep saying yes to everything. They are all supporters of Modi.' You say the same thing about the media, calling it 'Godi media', and now you say these three commissioners are also 'Godi' people. But now there has been correspondence among the three commissioners on 14 occasions. This is official deliberation among the three Election Commissioners. What do we gather from this? The BJP did not go and plant a story in the media saying that there had been official deliberations among the three commissioners. Such deliberations are actually a sign of a healthy democracy..."
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra responds to Express Investigation and says: No constitutional body under any dictatorial rule
Members of Indian Youth Congress protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi
Watch video
https://platform.x.com/widgets.js#watch | Members of Indian Youth Congress protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi pic.twitter.com/Q3uYUUFZPd
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2026
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby responds to Indian Express report on 2 ECs objecting to discrepancies in SIR process and says"Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been conducting himself in an illegal manner. There are three members in the Election Commission. Every decision has to be taken either on the basis of unanimity or on the basis of majority. Now he has been ignoring the majority view of the two members, and he has been imposing his own view... Therefore, he doesn't have any right to continue as the chief election commissioner. He should resign. If he does not resign, the government should remove him. This is the demand of the CPI(M)."
With ANI input
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury responds to the Express Investigation and says, "The truth always comes to light sooner or later and this is a glaring example of it. What Rahul Gandhi had been trying to raise from the streets to the Parliament, and from Parliament to the Supreme Court is now proving to be true. The Election Commission's own Commissioners, who are not leaders of any political party are themselves stating that there was centralised control over the process and that they had no authority or say in it. When local officials like EROs, DEOs, and CEOs have no authority, and even the Election Commissioners themselves are stripped of their powers, it implies that the functioning of the Election Commission and the electoral rolls created by them were prepared through improper means... I want to emphasise that a thorough and proper investigation must be conducted into this matter..."
CPI(M) MP John Brittas has written a letter to the President Droupadi Murmu citing The Indian Express investigation and called for cancellation of the SIR exercise and removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. In his letter, Brittas said, "What has emerged is no longer an ordinary political or administrative controversy. It concerns the integrity of the electoral roll, the functioning of a constitutional institution and, ultimately, the citizen's right to participate in our representative democracy."
Liz Mathew reports
Our reporter Asad Rehman in New Delhi says the Congress launched a full-fledged attack on the Election Commission of India over a series of reports in The Indian Express published on Wednesday, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar to step down and said that “the BJP has opened an office for the murder of democracy”.
Speaking at a press briefing in Delhi on Wednesday, Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “It is an extremely serious issue. It can be fatal for ours and any democracy. It is an example of double bulldozer government where there is an external bulldozer well known which assaults all major institutions of India… Apart from that external bulldozer, we have an internal bulldozer – the CEC, which has bulldozed his own organization, his colleagues… He runs it like a feudal lord not answerable to any authority.”
“The BJP has opened an office for the murder of democracy. On one end, they have posted the CEC and on the other hand is the home ministry. I will establish this theme. This is a serious matter and is fatal for our republic. If you go deep into it, then we know an outside bulldozer. On the subject of that bulldozer, we have seen attacks on different institutions. No one is immune to that and even your institution (media) is not spared. The judiciary has not been spared. There is also an insider bulldozer in the ECI. The government of two bulldozers can be dangerous for the health of our Constitutional health too,” said Singhvi.
“I will start from the report in The Indian Express, which is a widely known newspaper. I want to congratulate it. It shows journalism of courage and also of analysis and research. It is a lesson for godi media’s sections. It is a peak showing that if you have been given the category of the fourth pillar of democracy. Then how you can deliver,” said Singhvi.
“The first point: many years ago in 1995, the Supreme Court had made it clear that the ECI is a majority body. You would remember that during T. N. Seshan’s tenure, this legal question was raised. That the CEC is top authority. The ECs don’t have equal power or status. This question was answered that all ECs are equal. That the CEC is not higher and is just first among equals. Today’s revelation shows that the CEC not just misled the country, but also misled his colleagues. He hijacked the ECI, and made the ECs not serve in the ECI. He hijacked his ECs. This is the example of the internal bulldozer. This is disgusting for a Constitutional body. Thirty years ago, the Supreme Court had said all ECs in the ECI ‘must have a say in decision making’. Then again said ‘if the CEC is considered to be a superior in the sense that his word is final, he would render the ECs non functional or ornamental’. Fourteen times these people who the CEC considers ornamental or dummy or a statue, have given objections and dissent in writing in 10 months. On August 13, Mr Sandhu wrote changes and irregularities in form 6 are unauthorized and illegal. Mr Joshi and Mr Sandhu opposed the form 6 process in writing. There was no reply. In May, they opposed that the ECI’s ERO will not have access because of the IT department,” said Singhvi, who also serves as the chief of AICC Law department.
“What kind of hijack is this by a person? This is a dictatorship by two bulldozers. Mr Lavasa had written that if we are clones,” said Singhvi.
Targeting Gyanesh Kumar, Singhvi said he has no right of any kind to continue in his position. “The joke is that the ECI talks about one man, one woman, one vote. But the ECI has made itself an institution where no one vote, on one value. Three people should have equal votes. The Supreme Court order of 1995 is in the dustbin,” said Singhvi.
The Congress MP said the party demands that all these dissent notes should be shared with the country. “Don’t tell us we should seek them in RTIs. We know what will happen,” said Singhvi.
There should be re-elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu using ballot papers, says Uddhav Thackeray.
Posting the front page of The Indian Express published on Wednesday, Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote, "Gyanesh Kumar is the enemy of India. More than 12 crore names have reportedly been deleted from electoral rolls. That is roughly 12.4% of the 97 crore registered electorate around the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The gap between the BJP-led NDA and the opposition was just 2%. Gyanesh Kumar isn’t conducting elections, he is scripting them."
After Indian Express investigation reported on 2 ECs objecting to discrepancies in SIR process, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra responded saying, ""This is an extremely serious issue for our democracy. If there are no elections, then where is democracy? If elections are unfair and rigged in any manner, then the Election Commission is assisting in that. If the Election Commissioner is not only aware of it but also allowing it to happen, then it is a very serious assault on democracy. It is an act of treason."
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar be arrested. In a video address, following The Indian Express report, which flagged that two out of three Election Commissioners complained about being kept in the dark, adding new voters, and deleting names, Kejriwal said: “Gyanesh Kumar was running the Election Commission of India on his own.”
https://platform.x.com/widgets.jsArrest Gyanesh Kumar | Important Press Conference LIVE https://t.co/SIyobEdRgO
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 23, 2026
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and legal criminal action against him, a day after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times in the past 10 months to decisions taken by the poll panel.
Raut alleged that Kumar had acted under pressure from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and accused the two of undermining the Election Commission and the Constitution.
He demanded that Kumar be removed and prosecuted. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Shah as Union Home Minister if the government wanted to protect the Election Commission and the Constitution.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that “vote chori” was a crime against Indian voters and an attack on the Constitution, and said those responsible would face justice.
In a post on X, he said, "Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served."
His remarks come after an Indian Express report revealed that two out of three Election Commissioners complained about being kept in the dark, adding new voters, and deleting names. Calling the decisions regarding new voters “unauthorised and illegal,” Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi warned against voter database access being ‘centralised’ in Delhi, bypassing state officials.
https://platform.x.com/widgets.jsVote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 23, 2026
The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason.
Justice will be served. pic.twitter.com/30kX06CBiH
Congress social media chairperson Supriya Shrinate called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
In a post on X, she said, "There is no doubt left now that Gyanesh Kumar are the assassins of democracy. And to save Modi's power, the Election Commission is being run as their personal fiefdom. The Indian Express has revealed in a powerful report today that two election commissioners have lodged complaints 14 times in 10 months. In which it is clearly stated that both election commissioners - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi - are not given information about important decisions. They are not consulted. Decisions are being taken without asking or informing them. There is no doubt left now that Gyanesh Kumar are the assassins of democracy. And to save Modi's power, the Election Commission is being run as their personal fiefdom."
अब इसमें कोई शक नहीं रह गया है कि ज्ञानेश कुमार लोकतंत्र के हत्यारे हैं. और मोदी की सत्ता बचाने के लिए चुनाव आयोग अपनी बपौती समझ कर चला रहे हैं
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 23, 2026
Indian Express ने आज एक ज़बरदस्त रिपोर्ट में खुलासा किया है कि दो चुनाव आयुक्तों ने 10 महीने में 14 बार शिकायत की है. जिसमें साफ कहा… pic.twitter.com/eN3Yczn0Km
Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien called on the Opposition to revive a Rajya Sabha motion seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal. In a post o X, he said, "Five months ago, 60+ Rajya Sabha MPs (50 needed) wrote to Chairman RS moving Motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. After big news break today that two Election Commissioners objected to many of CEC's actions, it's time to bring out the RS Motion today. Impeach CEC to save democracy."
Five months ago, 60+ Rajya Sabha MPs (50 needed) wrote to Chairman RS moving Motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar
— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) September 23, 2026
After big news break today that two Election Commissioners objected to many of CEC's actions, it's time to bring out the RS Motion today. Impeach CEC to save democracy pic.twitter.com/bQToB1djjQ
The change is “illegal,” “unauthorised,” it needs to be sent to the Government…it must be removed immediately so that young, first-time voters are not harassed. The warning by the two Election Commissioners couldn’t have been clearer — and yet it was ignored.
The change brought questions related to SIR into Form 6, the form new voters have to fill. It asked applicants to choose one of three statements: whether their name appeared in electoral roll during the last SIR held in the early 2000s, whether the name of a parent or grandparent appeared in that roll, or whether neither their name nor that of their parents appeared in it.
There has been dissent within the Election Commission earlier but never before have two Election Commissioners put on record objections that touch the heart of the electoral process itself: new voters, deleting names, the IT system that secures the entire voters’ list.
Concentration of powers: You may be legally entitled to vote but now you may hit the “system hurdle”. Your Electoral Registration Officer may not be able to ensure your right. That’s what happened in Goa where 97 people met the ERO’s requirements. They produced their documents, the ERO found them eligible but the software, controlled from EC headquarters in Delhi, didn’t allow the ERO’s decisions to be recorded. A voter can be eligible, prove it, be found eligible by the officer the law appoints, and still not be on the roll when the day comes, because the roll is a centrally controlled system that cut the ERO out.
The promise was sweeping. On January 22, the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched ECINet, the tech backbone for almost a billion voters, bringing more than 40 of its apps and portals under one roof. It was built in strict accordance with the law, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said. It would “enhance transparency, credibility and public trust”, said Seema Khanna, the Director General of IT in the Commission.
Within months, this very platform the CEC and his DG(IT) had called lawful and trustworthy was unravelling — state officers, prescribed by law to add or delete names and update records, were finding themselves shut out of the system, their access restricted by Khanna’s team in New Delhi.
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which began in Bihar in June 2025, an otherwise routine clean-up of the rolls, has struck more than 13 crore names off the draft voter rolls in 30 States and Union Territories. This has put the Election Commission at the centre of intense public debate over its role in deciding who gets to vote — and who doesn’t.
An investigation by The Indian Express reveals that questions were raised on these very issues within the three-member Election Commission (EC) itself, time and again through much of this same period. By two of the three Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, no less.
Congress hit out at Kumar, stating that “Gyanesh is ruling like a dictator just like his boss Modi and is engaged in ‘vote theft’ to please Modi [sic].”
In a post on X, Congress said, “We have said this before as well – Modi has captured the Election Commission. Gyanesh Kumar is Modi’s puppet. This fact is proven by this report from the Indian Express. Modi and Gyanesh together have caused great damage to the country’s democracy.”
https://platform.x.com/widgets.jsमोदी के चहेते ज्ञानेश कुमार चुनाव आयोग में अपनी मनमर्जी चला रहे हैं।
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 23, 2026
👉 इस बारे में खुद दो चुनाव आयुक्तों ने 10 महीने में 14 बार शिकायत की है।
▪️ शिकायत में साफ कहा गया कि दोनों चुनाव आयुक्त - सुखबीर सिंह संधू और विवेक जोशी को महत्वपूर्ण फैसलों की जानकारी नहीं दी जाती। उनसे… pic.twitter.com/uPeLz6NcZF
Congress leader Manish Tewari said the findings suggest an “invisible hand is running the Election Commission”.
“If the ostensible facts as reported by Indian Express are correct, then it seems to suggest that there is an ‘invisible hand ‘ running the ECISVEEP. If rules were not allegedly followed and decisions were taken that were not unanimous or by majority then all the decisions of ECISVEEP are per -se arbitrary and capricious if not completely illegal. This is perhaps a fit case for serious considering an impeachment proceeding but more importantly the fundamental question is as to how will the credibility of ECISVEEP be ever resurrected [sic],” Tewari wrote on X.
The Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have faced Opposition scrutiny after an Indian Express report revealed that two out of three Election Commissioners complained about being kept in the dark, adding new voters, and deleting names. Calling the decisions regarding new voters “unauthorised and illegal,” Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi warned against voter database access being ‘centralised’ in Delhi, bypassing state officials.
