Opposition leaders on Wednesday stepped up their criticism of the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following an Indian Express report that claimed two of the three Election Commissioners had raised objections multiple times over decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and electoral roll procedures.
According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over a period of 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
The Election Commission, however, sought to play down the report, with its sources stating that all decisions of the Election Commission of India, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of both Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.
The report triggered a fresh political confrontation, with several Opposition leaders questioning the functioning of the poll body and demanding accountability from the CEC.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi described "vote chori" as a "crime against the Indian people" and an attack on the Constitution.
In a post shared on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served."
In a video shared by him, Gandhi addressed the Election Commission and election officials, saying, "I am clearly telling the Election Commission and election officers: What you are doing is wrong. This is treason, it is against the nation. Do not forget this. The time will come! We will catch you! You will not be spared."
Priyanka Gandhi Calls It 'Act Of Treason'
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also reacted to the report, saying that any irregularities allowed during elections would have serious implications for democracy.
"This is an extremely serious issue for our democracy. If there are no elections, then where is democracy? If elections are unfair and rigged in any manner, then the Election Commission is assisting in that. If the Election Commissioner is not only aware of it but also allowing it to happen, then it is a very serious assault on democracy. It is an act of treason," she said.
Her remarks came after the report claimed that Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and orders linked to the SIR process.
Kharge Questions CEC Over Objections
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the report had brought questions surrounding the functioning of the Election Commission into sharper focus.
Kharge said, "For several years now, the Congress Party and many opposition parties have been raising questions about the fairness of elections in the country. We continuously found the role of the Election Commission suspicious. When we raised questions, they were dismissed as a joke. The doors of the Commission were shut."
"Today, the same issue has come to light from within the Election Commission itself. Two out of three Election Commissioners objected in writing 14 times. Misuse of Form 6, misuse of software, tampering with voter lists, decisions without transparency—these are all now in front of the country. Then what did CEC Gyanesh Kumar do about these objections?" he asked.
Kharge also alleged that 13.8 crore names had been removed from draft electoral rolls during the first three phases of SIR in 31 states and Union Territories.
"The Vote Chori and SIR that Shri Rahul Gandhi has continuously exposed before the country are now proving to be correct questions. This is tampering with democracy," Kharge said.
He also referred to an earlier notice moved by Opposition MPs seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
"On 24 April 2026, 73 opposition Rajya Sabha MPs had submitted a new Notice of Motion to the Secretary General to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The Monsoon Session of Parliament has not yet been prorogued. Will the Hon'ble Rajya Sabha Chairman now decide on that pending Notice?" Kharge asked.
"Today, the question is not just about Vote Chori. The question is about the government's takeover of India's democracy and its institutions. It is about their independence and impartiality," he added.
Congress Leaders Raise Questions Over Decision-Making
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also questioned the functioning of the Election Commission and alleged that the CEC was not keeping the other Election Commissioners informed about decisions.
"You see today's Indian Express news. Two Election Commissioners of this country—the report is very clear that two Election Commissioners of the country, they are not even informed of anything by the Chief Election Commissioner," Venugopal told ANI.
"For the last so many years, we have been raising this issue—the basic issue of democracy in this country. The Chief Election Commissioner is acting as an agent of the Prime Minister and the BJP. He is completely trying to cut the vote," he alleged.
Congress MP Manish Tiwari questioned how the SIR process continued if the two Election Commissioners had repeatedly objected to decisions concerning it.
"If the two Election Commissioners were repeatedly objecting to each and every decision which was being taken with regard to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, and the revision still continued to go on, this means that there is an invisible hand beyond the Election Commission which seems to be running the commission," Tiwari told ANI.
He said the Election Commission's rules of business require decisions to be taken either unanimously or by majority vote.
"The rules of business of the Election Commission are very clear that all decisions have to be taken either by unanimity or by a majority vote. If two of the Election Commissioners were objecting to these decisions, then obviously it goes to show that the decisions which have been taken... are per se arbitrary, capricious, and therefore illegal," he said.
Tiwari further said the developments could constitute grounds for seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
"This perhaps constitutes a fit case for impeachment, for the credibility of the Election Commission as a neutral arbiter of the electoral processes," he said.
Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi also alleged that the report raised questions about the functioning of the poll body.
"BJP has set up an office dedicated to the murder of democracy. On one side, they have positioned the CEC, and on the other, the Ministry of Home Affairs. "The revelations made today indicate that the CEC did not merely mislead the nation or undermine its constitutional values... but also misled his own colleagues."
Opposition Demands Action Against CEC
The criticism was not limited to Congress. Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee demanded the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and called for a court-monitored investigation into the issue.
Several other Opposition leaders, including RJD MP Manoj Jha, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj and CPI(M) MP John Brittas, also raised concerns over the report.
Opposition parties had previously moved motions seeking the removal of Gyanesh Kumar. In April 2026, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that 73 Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs had submitted a fresh notice seeking the CEC's removal on grounds of "proven misbehaviour".
Earlier, a similar notice was submitted in the Lok Sabha and was rejected by Speaker Om Birla after consideration, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin. The Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan also rejected the motion.
The latest controversy has therefore revived earlier Opposition concerns over the Election Commission, while the poll body has maintained that decisions related to SIR were taken unanimously by the full Commission.