New Delhi, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday renewed his demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and urged him to turn “approver” over what he alleged was the “stealing” of votes.
Addressing a press conference, Gandhi cited a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and communications they said were issued without their knowledge. The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of an internal rift and maintained that decisions, including those related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were taken with the approval of all three commissioners.
Gandhi questioned the absence of what he described as expected anti-incumbency against the BJP in several states and alleged that electoral processes had been compromised.
“This is an attack on the idea, on the basic infrastructure, on the expression of every single Indian,” he said.
The Congress leader reiterated his earlier allegations of irregularities in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and several Assembly polls, claiming that his questions had been ignored by institutions.
“If the votes are stolen, any law being made by the Parliamentarians, who won on stolen votes, is illegal,” Gandhi said, adding that institutional changes made by such governments would also be “illegal”.
He also referred to the law passed in December 2023 concerning the appointment and conditions of service of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, alleging that it provided protection from investigations.
Referring to the reported objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi, Gandhi alleged that action was not taken on their concerns because Gyanesh Kumar was being protected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others. These were allegations made by Gandhi and were not independently established.
Gandhi said the reported developments had exposed what he described as fundamental problems in the electoral system and called for Kumar’s immediate resignation.
Directly addressing the CEC, he said, “What you have done amounts to treason. It is an attack on the Constitution and the legal structure of the country…you were supposed to ensure that the vote is protected.”
Gandhi also praised the two Election Commissioners for what he described as coming “clean” and urged Kumar to turn “approver”, calling it an act of nationalism.
“The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Home Minister Amit Shah are undoubtedly going to be investigated for what they have done,” Gandhi alleged, adding that those responsible would eventually face consequences.
The Election Commission has rejected reports of an internal split, saying that individual observations and objections are part of institutional deliberations and that final decisions of the three-member poll panel have been unanimous.
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