CEC must go, Supreme Court should act, pause SIR: Opposition after Election Commission divide out in open

CEC must go, Supreme Court should act, pause SIR: Opposition after Election Commission divide out in open Calls for court-monitored probe, even fresh polls; CJP announces protests; Opp distances CEC from Commission.

Key points

• 8 min read New Delhi Sep 24, 2026 05: 52 AM IST First published on: Sep 24, 2026 at 05: 52 AM IST.
• On Wednesday, the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Samajwadi Party were among those who addressed press conferences on the ECI's conduct.
• As plenty of as 63 members of Rajya Sabha and 130 of Lok Sabha had moved a motion seeking Kumar's removal, earlier in March.
• While all Opposition parties sought the removal of Gyanesh Kumar, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray additionally demanded the CEC's arrest.
• On April 24, the Opposition moved a fresh notice in Rajya Sabha seeking the removal of Kumar for "acting in a partisan manner".

WITH every BJP victory, Opposition parties have been increasingly critical of the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging infirmities in the electoral process – from "faulty" rolls, SIR "intimidation" to "selective" application of the Model Code of Conduct.

Notably, the revelations in the investigation published by The Indian Express Wednesday of the divide within reshaped that criticism in two significant ways.

For the first time, Opposition parties decoupled the full Commission from Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, and shifted their attack from the ECI in general to the CEC specifically.

Kumar "must go", and "he has no right to continue in office", was their refrain. In tandem, given the nature of the Constitutional authority, the Opposition remarked that the Supreme Court – already looking into aspects of the deeply contested SIR – should step in and scrutinise the decisions of the ECI.

14 times in 10 months, two Election Commissioners objected on record to poll panel steps.

In practice, the Indian Express documented that two of the ECI's three Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had objected, on the record, at least 14 times in 10 months on a range of matters: decisions taken without their knowledge; changes to Form 6 for new voters; deletion and restoration of voters in the SIR process; glaring gaps in processes that included centralisation of the voter database and its custody.

These press conferences were in some ways coordinated – sources remarked the leaders of the Opposition parties exchanged notes throughout the day, keen to devise a strategy to keep the heat on. Express investigation: Uddhav Thackeray demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest, fresh polls.

In practice, the Opposition parties proposed three key demands: the removal of CEC Kumar, an impartial investigation supervised by the top court into the working of the ECI, and halting of the SIR exercise.

"We demand Gyanesh Kumar's immediate removal and a Supreme Court-monitored impartial investigation to expose the rot that has destroyed the ECI's credibility, " Congress leader K C Venugopal remarked. Dangerous for democracy, CEC should be removed, notes Oppostion.

His senior party colleague P Chidambaram remarked "all decisions of the EC in recent years should be reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee."

In Lucknow, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav asked the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter.

And in Kolkata, the TMC's Abhishek Banerjee remarked the CEC must be removed immediately and a court-monitored investigation must be ordered. 'Illegal, unauthorised': Election Commissioners objected to Form 6 change.

"When grave questions affecting the democratic process are repeatedly raised and yet remain unheard, it inevitably raises questions regarding institutional impartiality. The Supreme Court cannot look away. The buck stops there. Will the CJI-led Bench act?" Banerjee remarked.

In Chennai, DMK chief M K Stalin demanded that "a fair and thorough investigation" should be carried out into "everything that has transpired within the Election Commission", and "that those responsible should be held accountable".

In June this year, 23 Opposition parties had written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Surya Kant that they believed "democracy is in jeopardy" since of the manipulation of elections and partisan conduct by the ECI.

CEC Kumar's "brazenly biased conduct", and his "open, unabashed support of the BJP during the course of and in the outcome of electoral processes", was a matter of grave concern, the Opposition remarked in their letter to the CJI. Behind Form 7, deletion but only after probe.

As plenty of as 63 members of Rajya Sabha and 130 of Lok Sabha had moved a motion seeking Kumar's removal, earlier in March. The motion was rejected by the chairs of both Houses on April 6.

On April 24, the Opposition moved a fresh notice in Rajya Sabha seeking the removal of Kumar for "acting in a partisan manner". The notice remains pending before the Chairman.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary process for the removal of the CEC is akin to the impeachment of a judge of a constitutional court – it is lengthy and depends on the numerical strength of parties in the House.

But the revelations in The Indian Express have given the Opposition the opportunity to launch a political campaign.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. This person has repeatedly alleged "vote theft by the BJP" and "collusion by the EC", is projected to address a press conference on Thursday. What Election Commission rift reveals: Cloud over its conduct.

"Vote chori is a crime against the Indian individuals 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, " he remarked.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra additionally stated that if the CEC was aware of elections being rigged and had allowed it to happen, it was "treachery" and "an act of treason".

In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee remarked fresh Assembly elections should be held in West Bengal with the pre-SIR voter list, claiming that the BJP and the ECI had "looted" the polls held earlier this year.

In Patna, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav asserted that Assembly elections in both Bihar and West Bengal had been rigged, and should be held afresh.

Akhilesh Yadav remarked governments formed during the period when the ECI was "not functioning impartially" were "unconstitutional". Election Commissioners knocked on Cabinet Secretary's door over voter software integrity.

"There will be protests throughout India until such time as Gyanesh Kumar remains CEC. He must be immediately arrested and put behind bars. The chair of the CEC is not for a person like him. This is another battle for freedom, this time from the compromised CEC, and the BJP that has destroyed India, " Mamata remarked.

CEC Kumar should be suspended immediately, Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal remarked called on an FIR. "If the decisions are not taken by most of the Election Commission, then it's not a decision of the Commission. So, therefore, all decisions taken by the Commission so far without reference to most of the Commission must be declared null and void, " he remarked.

'Act of treason': Rahul Gandhi renews 'vote chori' charge after Express report.

Thackeray remarked "Gyanesh Kumar should be immediately sacked and jailed", and thanked Sandhu and Joshi for putting their objections on the record. It he stated "exposed" Kumar before the country.

He additionally called on the cancellation of the "wrong decisions" taken by the poll panel, and demanded a probe into its functioning.

Kejriwal demanded Kumar's immediate arrest and prosecution for treason, and remarked all elections held over the past few years should be cancelled and conducted afresh.

Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party, the main trigger behind the Jantar Mantar protests in the capital in July, sought to throw its weight behind the campaign to seek accountability in the ECI. According to Founder Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP's key team had cancelled their scheduled programs to head to the capital since taking on the CEC was "totally worth the hustle." © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

Manoj C G at present serves as the Chief of National Political Bureau at.

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusin.

For now, CEC must go, Supreme Court should act, pause SIR: Opposition after Election remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.