New Delhi, September 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Congress is set to formulate its strategy on the ongoing row with the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Tuesday, with former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking to IANS, Meira Kumar said the party’s strategy would be decided during the CWC meeting and subsequently discussed with its INDIA Bloc partners.
“The strategy will be formulated today during the CWC meeting, and the rest will be discussed after sitting down with our partners in the INDIA Bloc. But Gyanesh Kumar will have to go, and his removal is extremely necessary,” she said.
Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, besides chief ministers of Congress-ruled states and other senior leaders, are attending the meeting.
AICC in-charge for West Bengal Prakash Joshi also sharply criticised the CEC. He alleged that Kumar’s actions warranted prosecution and said he should face legal consequences.
The Congress has been raising concerns over the SIR exercise, changes related to Form 6 for enrolling new voters, additions and deletions from electoral rolls, and what it describes as centralised control over the electoral-roll database.
Kharge has also criticised the Election Commission, saying that concerns raised by two Election Commissioners had exposed the functioning of the poll panel and calling for action against the CEC.
The Opposition INDIA Bloc is expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss a joint strategy on the issue. It may also submit another notice in Parliament seeking Kumar’s removal.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected concerns about its internal decision-making process, maintaining that differing views and observations are part of institutional deliberations. The poll panel has said its orders have legal sanction and are issued in accordance with statutory procedures.
On September 26, the Election Commission said its nationwide SIR order had received unanimous approval from all three commissioners — CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. It also said changes concerning Form 6 had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The controversy follows reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR exercise and electoral-roll procedures. The issue has since emerged as a major point of contention between the Congress-led Opposition and the Election Commission, with Opposition parties seeking greater scrutiny of the process.
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