Election Commission Faces Fresh Credibility Test as Opposition Presses for CEC's Exit
Opposition demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation amid a dissent row, as the Election Commission defends its record and former commissioners seek clarity.
The Election Commission is confronting a renewed credibility challenge, with the opposition Congress intensifying its demand that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar step down immediately. The party has also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should be held accountable for what it described as deliberate designs against young voters.
On Friday, the Congress sharpened its attack by invoking a historical contrast. It recalled that Rajiv Gandhi, as prime minister in 1988, lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18, and said that while one prime minister gave Gen Z the franchise, the current one is determined to take it away through underhand means. The party had alleged a day earlier that Gen Z is being singled out for exclusion.
The Commission, for its part, pushed back against the controversy over internal dissent. It said that spotlighting certain internal notes presents only one side of the picture, and asserted that its decisions comply with the law and are marked by transparency.
Adding to the pressure, former Election Commissioners urged the poll body to disclose details of the decisions it has taken and whether those decisions carried majority backing. Their intervention places the focus on how the Commission records and communicates internal disagreement.
The row has drawn in the country's top political leadership, with the opposition directly targeting the Prime Minister and the Home Minister alongside the CEC. The Commission's defence and the calls for fuller disclosure are likely to shape the next phase of the confrontation.