Stories
Congress Demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Arrest, Removal; Plans Nationwide Protests
- •The Congress party has instructed its state units to organize protest marches on September 25, demanding the immediate arrest and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- •Protests will target State Election Commission offices, calling for an independent review of all decisions and electoral roll changes made under Kumar.
- •District Congress Committees (DCCs) will hold similar protest marches to their respective District Collectorates on September 28.
- •Congress general secretary K C Venugopal accused Kumar of "treason" and "anti-national acts" following revelations about internal dissent within the Election Commission.
- •The protests stem from a report revealing that two other election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, repeatedly raised objections to decisions made under Kumar's supervision regarding electoral roll revisions.
Key Questions Answered
The Congress party directed all Pradesh Congress Committees to organise protest marches to their respective State Election Commission offices on September 25, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's immediate arrest, removal from office, and an independent review of all electoral roll changes made under him. Additionally, all District Congress Committees were instructed to hold similar protest marches to District Collectorates on September 28.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected at least 14 times over a 10-month period regarding decisions and orders issued during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls without their knowledge. Their concerns involved voter additions and deletions, alterations to Form 6 for new voter registrations, and the centralisation of electoral roll data.
A total of 73 opposition MPs moved an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on April 24, 2026, which remained pending. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien subsequently called for reviving this five-month-old notice following reports that two election commissioners had objected to the poll panel's decisions.
