Opposition parties Demand the Resignation of Chief Election Commissioner

Synopsis

The three-member commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, consisting of Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi is currently facing a crisis as allegations have surfaced against its chief over the integrity of voter database, security of electoral lists and transparency in elections. This has led to Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi as well as Cockroach Janata Party demanding the resignation of the Chief alongside withdrawal of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

What is the Issue?

On September 23, 2026, the Indian Express newspaper came out with an expose claiming that since the past few months, CEC has undertaken major decisions without the knowledge of Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The report further added that in the past 10 months, there were around 14 instances when both of them were kept in dark by CEC.

The report alleges that the two commissioners wrote a letter as well complaining about the same to the Chief Secretary who is the top bureaucrat in the Indian government.

Special Intensive Revision

This report comes at a time when the Election Commission is carrying out the controversial country-wide revision of the electoral database as the commission claims that the main aim of SIR is to prevent any ineligible names on the rolls.

It says the last revision was done nearly a quarter of a century ago and the voters’ list needs to be updated to account for people who have died, left the place or moved away.

However, from the very beginning the exercise has resulted in controversies with opposition parties accusing the commission of working in the favor of Bharatiya Janata Party while the commission and BJP have both rejected these claims.

The country has seen almost 130 million names struck off its voters’ list raising questions about the SIR exercise while many have complained that people lack documents and the facilities required for the exercise as millions of voters complain about missing names.

However, the election commission is once again under fire for its credibility as questions are not being raised from within the commission itself. Former CEC SY Quraishi who has been a critic of SIR since the beginning has appreciated the efforts of Commissioner Sandhu and Commissioner Joshi.

Opposition’s Response

The new revelations have strengthened the case for opposition parties and critics who repeatedly made claims that SIR was being used to exclude voters and rig elections in the favor of BJP. On Wednesday, the opposition parties questioned the credibility of Indian elections and demanded for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi repeatedly alleged that the commission was stealing votes and accused them of treason.

"Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organized it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served," he posted on X.

Mamata Benerjee, leader of the All India Trinamool Congress called for the arrest of Gyanesh Kumar and demanded fresh polls as she lost the recent West Bengal elections to BJP as 2.7 million voters were removed from the state.

Cockroach Janata Party

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has put forward three demands while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. The demands include resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and initiation of criminal proceedings against him, restoration of pre-SIR electoral roll from January 2025 and repeal of 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.

The CJP has given 48 hours for the CEC to resign as they plan for a nationwide strike if the demands are not met.

Election Commission Defends Itself

After the report by Indian Express, the Election Commission has put out a statement in its defence.

The commission stated that differing views and observations are a part of normal deliberation and decision-making process. Moreover, it stated that every officer was fully authorized to give their suggestions to the commission for improving the electoral system.

In addition to this, the commission claimed that over the past one year it has launched 40 new initiatives and undertaken various reforms including the SIR which are a result of unanimous decision of the commission.

BJP Comes in Support

The spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party Sambit Patra addressed a press conference stating how opposition parties have been “collapsing” ever since BJP came into power and since they cannot win elections, they are attempting to undermine the institution.

The BJP has also come in support of the CEC, labelling the opposition’s criticism a ‘smear campaign” and that dissent was an essential sign of vibrant democracy.

Road Ahead

The statement given by the election commission may not be able to satisfy the public as the opposition parties continue to mount pressure for the resignation of CEC. This dissatisfaction has been further increased by the controversial SIR exercise resulting in the deletion of million of voters from the electoral rolls.

The nation awaits to see whether the opposition parties, especially the Cockroach Janata Party, will launch a nationwide strike and whether it will yield any tangible results and changes in the electoral system.