FIRED up by objections raised by Election Commissioners, Opposition parties on Wednesday demanded scrapping of the SIR exercise and mounted a fierce attack on CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that he was running the poll panel as a “one-man autocracy” and demanding his impeachment and arrest. Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, red-flagged issues relating to deletion of names under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raised objections to the decision-making process 14 times in the past few months, according to a report in Indian Express. Reacting to it, the Election Commission asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution and all its orders “are an outcome of the unanimous decisions of the full Commission in the past one year”. The Opposition parties, which have been critical of the EC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, latched on to the issue to demand immediate impeachment proceedings against CEC Kumar in Parliament. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reiterated his “vote chori” charge against the EC, terming it an act of treason and a crime against the people of India.

 

“The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” Gandhi said. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal demanded that CEC Gyanesh Kumar should be jailed and immediately removed from his post. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and fresh assembly elections in the state with the pre-SIR voter list, alleging that the BJP and the poll panel had “looted” the polls held earlier this year. “Impeach CEC to save democracy,” TMC (Mamata faction) MP Derek O’Brien said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that on 24 April 2026, 73 opposition Rajya Sabha MPs had submitted a newNotice of Motion to the Secretary General to remove CEC 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 said, adding that the country will demand answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.