Why Gyanesh Kumar row marks crucial reckoning in BJP vs INDIA bloc battle

Why Gyanesh Kumar row marks crucial reckoning in BJP vs INDIA bloc battle This time, the matter has moved from EC and its equations with administration to one that affects millions of voters.

Key points

• 7 min read New Delhi Oct 1, 2026 06: 08 AM IST First published on: Sep 30, 2026 at 11: 54 AM IST.
• (Neerja Chowdhury, Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has covered the last 11 Lok Sabha elections.
• In January 2009, then CEC N Gopalaswami had written to the President seeking the removal of EC Navin Chawla, citing a "lack of political neutrality".
• The CJP has additionally called on a " Jantar Mantar 2.0 " in Mumbai on October 2 to demand the CEC's removal.
• The Indian Express documented that the two ECs had objected on record 14 times in 10 month s on a range of matters.

With the ECs appearing to be going along with him now, Gyanesh Kumar may have obtained a breather, even as the Opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are doubling down over their demand for his ouster. (File image). Written by: Neerja Chowdhury.

" Agar vote se khilwarh hua toh Bhagat Singh paida ho jayenge, " remarked a Sikh taxi driver in Delhi. Whether or not the prevailing situation can throw up Bhagat Singh is debatable, but his words reflected his feelings regarding his right to vote.

In practice, the next week will tell us more regarding the direction of the protests that are underway to press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. This person has been in the eye of a storm over various alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the deletion of over 13 crore voters from the draft electoral rolls during the exercise.

"What next?" is a question uppermost on the minds of plenty of after the Election Commission (EC) last Saturday held its first gathering since The Indian Express expose on the deep divide within the poll panel and glaring gaps in its processes.

In practice, the EC's note on its nine decisions along with a photo of the CEC flanked by the two ECs, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, indicated that they had produced peace and were on the same page now.

Meanwhile, the Indian Express documented that the two ECs had objected on record 14 times in 10 month s on a range of matters. The EC's note sought to address some of the reservations raised by Sandhu and Joshi – such as the decision to circulate the agenda of the panel's gathering in advance and its minutes afterwards.

Meanwhile, the EC's response was ambivalent on various other problems which have triggered widespread worries: the changes to Form 6 for new voters including Gen Z (which was strongly objected to by Sandhu and Joshi), and the centralisation of voter database restricting the statutory rights of designated authorities like the EROs to access it for updating voter lists.

Notably, the BJP came out with full-throated backing for the CEC, and its worried NDA allies who had called on the CEC's clarifications, seemed satisfied, at least for now, with the EC's statement.

It goes without saying that Gyanesh's resignation may aggravate the situation for the BJP, and embolden the Opposition to demand more. For all its defence of the CEC, the BJP brass could not be oblivious of the current restlessness prevailing in the country. It may signify a shift in public mood.

Meanwhile, the ruling party would want the crisis to be defused rather than escalate on an matter as crucial as the right of voters to elect their administration. We know how seriously common individuals take their vote and queue up from early morning on polling day to press the EVM button.

In practice, the BJP dismissed Sandhu and Joshi's differences with the CEC as a routine matter which had additionally happened previously. The EC is no stranger to controversy since the days when a multi-member body was set up by the Narasimha Rao-led Congress administration. It was challenged by the then CEC T N Seshan, who brought wide-ranging reforms, including the Model Code of Conduct, in the poll body to change its face.

In 1993, the Narasimha Rao administration promulgated an ordinance to fix the number of the ECs at two and appointed M S Gill and G V G Krishnamurthy as the ECs. It was seen as a bid to undermine the CEC's authority. Seshan challenged it in the Supreme Court. It in 1995 upheld the validity of the multi-member poll panel, vesting the ECs with equal rights as the CEC and ruling that decisions must be created unanimously or by a majority vote by them.

In January 2009, then CEC N Gopalaswami had written to the President seeking the removal of EC Navin Chawla, citing a "lack of political neutrality". Chawla was eventually appointed the CEC.

In practice, the problems, then, were mostly concerning pique and a tug of war between the CEC and the ECs regarding their powers, or their proximity to the administration of the day. It wanted a pliant EC.

This time, nevertheless, the problem is different. It has moved from the EC and its equations with the administration to one that affects millions of voters directly. This person are concerned over whether their names will be enrolled, deleted, or restored in the electoral rolls, as the case might be. Plenty of suspect the EC of being an instrument to keep them out of the poll process.

There was a time when the EC would run public campaigns to encourage voters to enrol and to vote. It has been a double whammy for the poor voters, who, without their names on the rolls, could lose access to the benefits of various administration welfare schemes.

So the matter is additionally an emotive one this time. And the CEC's image has taken a beating, even as the EC and the ruling dispensation have sought to control the damage. Additionally, the credibility of the elections conducted by the EC have taken a hit. It should worry any administration.

Plenty of employed to marvel how the outcome of an election in India was never contested by the losing party, even as individual defeats were challenged in courts. Prime Ministers, subdued or powerful, would produce way for their successors with humility. For all the faultlines that exist in the country's democratic landscape, the transition of power always took place peacefully.

All eyes are now on the Opposition and the apex court where petitions have been filed questioning the CEC's conduct and seeking to declare the SIR illegal.

In practice, the Congress has held protests in state capitals and other places nationwide. After the Congress Working Committee (CWC) session on the problem Tuesday, the party noted the Opposition INDIA bloc. It is gathering in Delhi Wednesday, would decide on launching a nationwide movement against alleged electoral malpractices.

Meanwhile, the CJP has additionally called on a " Jantar Mantar 2.0 " in Mumbai on October 2 to demand the CEC's removal.

In practice, the ground for the Opposition seems to be more fertile today than it has been over the last 12 years. But its capacity to mount pressure on the EC – and the administration – and undertake an agitation to ensure the inclusion of every legitimate voter in the rolls, would depend on how effectively it can close its ranks besides getting other non-NDA parties like the DMK, AAP, BJD and YSRCP on board too.

In practice, a few days back, Rahul Gandhi remarked he "loves swimming in the sea when it's rough". The most challenging task that lies before him is clear – to pull together the entire Opposition before charting his next course.

(Neerja Chowdhury, Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has covered the last 11 Lok Sabha elections. She is the author of 'How Prime Ministers Decide'.). © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

For now, why Gyanesh Kumar row marks crucial reckoning in BJP vs INDIA bloc remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.