New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls involving the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Congress
president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded Gyanesh Kumar's removal from the post. He even called the CEC a puppet of the Narendra Modi government. "Commissioner has become a puppet of the Modi government. This goes against the very spirit and principles of Indian democracy, which were established to ensure that every eligible citizen’s vote is protected and every vote is counted fairly.," he said Kharge also called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resignation on moral grounds. Kharge's remarks came during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. “Two Election Commissioners have themselves described the CEC’s actions as arbitrary and improper. The entire country now knows that his consistent efforts have been aimed at benefiting the ruling party," he said.
कांग्रेस मुख्यालय इंदिरा भवन में कांग्रेस वर्किंग कमेटी (CWC) की महत्वपूर्ण बैठक हुई।
इस बैठक में कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री @kharge, CPP चेयरपर्सन श्रीमती सोनिया गांधी जी और नेता विपक्ष श्री @RahulGandhi समेत वर्किंग कमेटी के सदस्य मौजूद रहे।
📍 दिल्ली pic.twitter.com/Dlo2M777vP— Congress (@INCIndia) September 29, 2026
“Under these circumstances, he has no right to continue in office and must be removed immediately. Moreover, Prime Minister Modi, under whose pressure he acted in this manner, should himself resign on moral grounds," he added.
The Congress president also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the center of undermining democratic institutions of the country.
In his opening remarks, Kharge accused the government of orchestrating the deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls and alleged that the CEC had become a puppet of the BJP-ruled Centre.
Kharge also questioned whether the decision to undertake the nationwide SIR exercise had been approved by the full Election Commission. He also sought an explanation for reports that the two Election Commissioners had been denied access to the Commission’s internal portal.
“The protector has become the predator. The very person entrusted by the Constitution with safeguarding people’s votes has become a thief of votes. How can the country trust a Chief Election Commissioner when his own colleagues do not trust him?” Kharge said.
“Is it wrong to ask who took the decision to conduct the SIR? Is it wrong to ask why two election commissioners were denied access to the internal portal? Was something being done secretly?” he added.
Drawing parallels between demonetisation and the ongoing electoral roll revision, Kharge accused the Modi government of pursuing what he described as 'votebandi 'He further alleged that the exercise was depriving eligible citizens of their voting rights.
The Congress president also demanded that an independent time-bound probe should also be conducted where serious anomalies are found and the poll process should be made transparent so no one feels that information is being hidden.
"We should take a pledge at the CWC meeting that there should be transparency in electoral rolls and the poll process should be impartial. Institutions should be independent and the vote of every Indian should be protected," he said in his inaugural address.
Khargerei stated that the electoral process is the core of our Constitution and the soul of India's democracy, and the Congress party would not be left behind in fulfilling this responsibility and will take to the streets and raise these issues in Parliament.
During his address, Kharge outlined five demands aimed at ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
- Complete data on every major change made to electoral rolls must be made public.
- Voters whose names have been deleted must receive complete information and an opportunity to appeal.
- Political parties must be provided with electoral rolls and all relevant data in a simple, accessible format and within a reasonable timeframe.
- Wherever evidence of serious irregularities emerges, an independent investigation must be conducted within a fixed timeframe.
- There must be complete transparency in important electoral data and decisions so that no party has reason to allege that information is being concealed.
Recently, an Indian Express report claimed that Kumar overlooked suggestions from election commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—over the SIR. This report sparked a political controversy with the Opposition started demanding the CEC's removal.
Responding to the report, the Election Commission maintained that differences of opinion are a routine part of institutional deliberations.
