‘CEC is the Biggest Enemy of Poll Panel’: Opposition Fires Back at Gyanesh Kumar
The opposition INDIA bloc on Monday launched a full-throated counter-attack against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission, escalating the bitter row over allegations of “vote theft” and the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
In a united front, leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC, and other parties held a press conference in New Delhi to accuse the poll body of partisanship and dereliction of duty, with some leaders declaring the CEC had become the “biggest enemy” of the institution he leads. The fiery response came a day after Kumar, in an unprecedented press conference, had lambasted the opposition for spreading “misinformation and lies” and using the ECI’s shoulder to fire political shots at voters.
During Sunday’s presser, Kumar had asserted that the commission “fearlessly stood like a rock with all the voters of all sections” and challenged the opposition to substantiate their claims. However, the INDIA bloc leaders on Monday dismissed his defense as an act of political alignment with the government.
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi accused the Election Commission of being “in the hands of officers who are taking sides” and failing to probe any charges brought by the opposition. “The right to vote is the most important right given by the Constitution… Democracy depends on it. EC is the body meant to protect it… But we can see that the CEC did not reply to the important questions being raised,” Gogoi stated.
The sentiment was echoed across the bloc. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra accused the ECI of dereliction of duty, citing an unresolved issue of duplicate voter cards raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. CPM’s John Brittas delivered one of the most scathing critiques, stating that Kumar had “forfeited his right to remain the CEC” and that the Election Commission had become a “B-team of the government.”
Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav claimed his party had submitted affidavits complaining of 18,000 voters being wrongfully removed from lists during the 2022 UP polls, but no action was ever taken. In a sharp jibe, RJD leader Manoj Jha remarked, “Yesterday we were looking for our CEC, we found a new BJP spokesperson.”
The opposition also reiterated its strong objections to the “haste” in conducting the SIR exercise in Bihar, with DMK’s Tiruchi Siva questioning why the ruling party was not allowing a discussion on the matter in Parliament. Amid the escalating conflict, sources confirmed that the INDIA bloc is expected to consider bringing an impeachment motion against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, signaling a deepening of the constitutional standoff.
