New Delhi, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of not functioning impartially and alleged that the poll panel was not working in accordance with the Constitution.
Yadav was speaking to reporters ahead of the INDIA bloc’s planned protest march from Parliament to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi over allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls and the Opposition’s demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The march was announced after a September 30 meeting of 19 Opposition parties.
Yadav said criticism of the Election Commission and questions over its functioning were not new.
“This is not a new issue when it comes to the Election Commission. Complaints and objections regarding the Election Commission and the way it is functioning are not being raised for the first time,” he said.
He alleged that the poll panel was favouring the BJP and claimed that the ruling party had benefited from money and the use of forces during elections.
“The ECI is not unbiased. The ECI is not working under the Constitution,” Yadav said, while alleging irregularities in elections in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
He also questioned what he described as the proximity between the BJP and the Election Commission, referring to the BJP’s office in the national capital.
“Tell us whether the ECI has worked on these problems or taken any action,” Yadav said.
On the BJP-led proposal for ‘One Nation, One Election’, the SP chief alleged that the initiative was aimed at consolidating electoral processes in a manner that would avoid scrutiny.
“Not One Nation, One Election; they want to do all the malfunctioning at one time so that they can rule for five years, and there is no need for any probe,” he said.
The INDIA bloc’s protest comes amid a wider Opposition campaign against the ECI over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and allegations of “vote theft”. The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of a split within its three-member panel and maintained that decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously.
The controversy intensified after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on record on at least 14 occasions over decisions and orders related to SIR. The ECI acknowledged the notes but described them as part of its decision-making process and maintained that its decisions were unanimous.
The Opposition has continued to demand action against Gyanesh Kumar, while the October 6 march is part of a broader campaign announced by INDIA bloc parties over electoral-roll revision and alleged irregularities in the functioning of the poll panel.
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