What is the story about?
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the ongoing row over the Special Intensive
Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, questioning the legal protection available to the poll panel chief. “Q. Why is CEC Gyanesh Kumar the only Indian with lifelong blanket legal immunity? A. Because PM Modi uses him to steal elections,” he said in a post on X. Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came as Opposition parties intensified their campaign against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise and alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
Q. Why is CEC Gyanesh Kumar the only Indian with lifelong blanket legal immunity?
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 30, 2026
A. Because PM Modi uses him to steal elections.
The controversy intensified after an Indian Express report revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions taken in the name of the poll panel. The report covered issues linked to voter registration, deletions, restoration of names and the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that differences and deliberations within the three-member panel are part of its functioning. EC officials have also said that decisions, including those related to SIR, had the approval of all three commissioners.
Rahul Gandhi’s Demands
On the issue of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and SIR, Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have said that Gyanesh Kumar will eventually have to go, adding that the movement would continue irrespective of whether he resigns.
He also outlined three demands before the party:
- Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
- Immediate suspension of SIR
- Prime Minister and Home Minister taking responsibility, with Rahul Gandhi demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation
Kharge Calls For Ballots, CEC Removal
At the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and renewed the Opposition’s demand to replace EVM voting with ballot papers.
“On EVMs, our position should also be clear. These are machines that BJP decides to use as per its needs, in Rahul Ji’s words- to win, get a hung house or lose an election. So we cannot allow them to use these machines any further, we must go back to Ballot votes to restore faith and confidence in India’s election system,” Kharge said.
Kharge also called for the pre-SIR electoral roll to be used for future elections, greater transparency in electoral-roll revisions, an effective appeal mechanism before voter deletions, protection of eligible voters from administrative failures, simpler registration for first-time voters and greater institutional accountability.
The INDIA bloc is expected to discuss a joint agitation programme as Opposition parties seek to put the Election Commission and the SIR exercise at the centre of their campaign.
