Thiruvananthapuram, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of undermining citizens’ democratic and constitutional right to vote, saying that any attempt to deprive eligible voters of their franchise must be exposed and stopped.
Tharoor’s remarks came amid controversy over a media report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions allegedly taken in the name of the full Commission without their knowledge. The ECI rejected the suggestion that the reported objections reflected institutional dissent over final decisions, maintaining that operational queries and suggestions during the drafting process were part of its standard decision-making procedure.
“Frankly, the only conspiracy we see is to deprive Indian citizens of their democratic constitutional right to vote. That conspiracy has to be exposed and destroyed. Let every Indian citizen have a vote,” Tharoor told IANS.
He said it would be preferable for a small number of ineligible people to cast ballots than for large numbers of eligible citizens to be denied their voting rights. He described such exclusion as an assault on democracy.
Tharoor said he would return on Monday night to attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, where the issue would be discussed in detail. He expressed concern over the Election Commission’s handling of the electoral process, saying the body had been entrusted with the impartial responsibility of protecting democracy.
“It’s a very, very serious matter, and a very serious discussion will take place in the Working Committee tomorrow,” he said.
Tharoor also commented on India’s ODI match against the West Indies, saying he was pleased with the team’s comfortable victory but felt India could have scored faster on a flat wicket. He praised Virat Kohli’s late innings and said the team appeared to be building for the future while focusing on the basics.
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