Kharge demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal, PM Modi’s resignation

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over what he alleged was pressure on the poll panel chief.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, Kharge also laid out five demands concerning the electoral-roll revision process, including full disclosure of major changes made to voter lists and timely access to electoral rolls and relevant data for political parties.

He demanded an independent, time-bound inquiry wherever evidence of serious discrepancies emerges. He also said voters whose names have been removed from electoral rolls must be informed and given an opportunity to appeal.

Kharge called for greater transparency around critical data and decisions related to elections, saying voters must have confidence that their votes are secure.

The Congress chief said his party did not view the issue merely as a contest over an election, arguing that electoral transparency and institutional independence were fundamental to the democratic process.

Kharge alleged that two election commissioners had themselves described the CEC's actions as arbitrary and improper. He said Kumar should not remain in office and alleged that the prime minister had exerted pressure on the CEC.

The allegations follow an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months concerning decisions and orders linked to SIR. The report said the commissioners had raised concerns about certain decisions being taken without their knowledge or recommendation.

The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and said its orders carry legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.

Kharge also accused the Modi government of attempting to disenfranchise voters and referred to the Congress's campaign against alleged “vote chori”. He said the party would take up the issue “from the streets to Parliament”.

With Assembly elections due in five states, Kharge said ensuring that eligible voters are not deprived of their voting rights was particularly important.

He also invoked the Constituent Assembly debates and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's decision in 1988 to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, contrasting it with what he alleged were recent changes affecting voter enrolment.

The CWC meeting was attended by former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, and senior leaders including P Chidambaram and Sachin Pilot.

Congress chief ministers from Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh also attended the meeting.

The meeting comes amid protests by Congress and other opposition parties against the Election Commission over SIR and alleged irregularities in electoral-roll management.