New Delhi, September 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and demanded intervention by the Supreme Court following a media report alleging that two Election Commissioners had recorded objections to several decisions of the poll panel.
The ECI has denied the report.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Election Commission was weakening democracy and questioned the functioning of a constitutional institution meant to remain impartial. He also claimed that governments formed during the period in question could face questions over their legitimacy.
CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying he had no right to continue in the post. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had earlier made a similar demand and called for cancellation of elections held in recent years.
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that genuine voters were being removed. He said objections raised by Election Commission members to the exercise were significant and urged the Centre to act on the issue.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged that names were being added to and deleted from electoral rolls according to the preferences of the BJP. She warned that continuing such a process could pose a serious challenge to India’s democratic institutions.
Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat alleged that voter names were being added or deleted at the direction of those in power. He further claimed that voters were being assessed on the basis of their political affiliations.
Congress leaders T.S. Singh Deo and Sandeep Dikshit also questioned the functioning of the Election Commission. Dikshit alleged that the electoral process had been undermined under Kumar’s leadership.
Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Kumar Rai and Purnia MP Pappu Yadav also accused the Election Commission of undermining democracy, with Yadav calling for the Supreme Court to dissolve the poll panel.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and summon all Election Commissioners before it.
Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut defended Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi for raising objections, while alleging that Kumar had taken unlawful decisions. Raut also questioned changes made to Form 6 in connection with the electoral-roll revision.
Congress MP Imran Masood termed the ECI’s denial of the media report “completely misleading” and questioned how decisions could have been unanimous if two of the three Election Commissioners had expressed differing views.
The allegations and demands came after the reported differences within the poll panel over decisions related to the electoral-roll revision process. The Election Commission, however, has rejected the report, setting the stage for an intensified political and legal debate over the functioning of the poll body.
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