Opposition Seeks CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Removal Over SIR Objections
Opposition parties have called for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's impeachment after reports that two election commissioners objected to the SIR of electoral rolls.
Opposition parties have demanded the impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, describing the functioning of the poll panel as a "one-man autocracy." The demand follows a report that objections were raised repeatedly within the three-member Election Commission over matters relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The concerns were reportedly voiced by two of the three election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. According to the report, questions were raised on SIR-related issues within the commission on multiple occasions.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has been a contentious exercise, and the reported internal dissent has now become the basis for the opposition's demand for action against the Chief Election Commissioner.
The Election Commission is a three-member body, and the reported objections point to differences within it over the conduct of the revision exercise. The opposition has seized on the disclosures to press its case against the CEC.