Siddaramaiah seeks CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal, independent probe into ECI

Congress Working Committee member Siddaramaiah on Saturday demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, registration of a criminal case against him and an independent probe into the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Siddaramaiah made the demands while participating in a protest organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in Bengaluru as part of the Congress’s nationwide agitation against the ECI.

He called for the President’s intervention to initiate the constitutional process under Article 324 for the removal of the CEC.


The protest was led by KPCC president BK Hariprasad and saw participation from political outfits and civil society organisations.

Citing investigative media reports, Siddaramaiah alleged differences within the three-member poll panel, claiming that the two other Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had recorded written dissent on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months on issues including voter inclusion, deletions, revisions to Form 6 and electoral roll data management.

“When two members of a three-member constitutional body repeatedly raise written objections, it points to a serious institutional crisis,” Siddaramaiah said.

He alleged that the ECI could not function in an authoritarian manner or as an extension of the Union government.

Siddaramaiah also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s earlier allegations of manipulation of electoral rolls and criticised the CEC for seeking an apology from Gandhi over his remarks. He said the reported dissent by the two Election Commissioners supported the Opposition’s concerns.

The former chief minister also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the electoral process and referred to the BJP’s reported 75-year retirement benchmark for its leaders.

Siddaramaiah said the Congress would continue to support Rahul Gandhi’s campaign on institutional integrity and maintained that the autonomy of the ECI was essential to parliamentary democracy.