Congress Escalates Attack on CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over SIR Exercise

The Congress on Friday stepped up its attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar , accusing him of compromising the integrity of India's electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and reiterating that the Opposition will pursue an unprecedented move to seek his removal during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament .

Launching a sharp attack, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described Kumar as a " complete weapon of mass destruction " for electoral rolls and said the Opposition would continue pressing for action on the removal notice submitted earlier this year. The remarks signal a further escalation in the political confrontation between the Opposition and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing voter list revision.

At the heart of the controversy is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) , a comprehensive exercise undertaken by the Election Commission to update electoral rolls through house-to-house verification , scrutiny of voter records and document verification. According to the ECI, the exercise aims to remove duplicate, deceased, permanently shifted and ineligible voters , while ensuring that every eligible Indian citizen remains on the electoral rolls, thereby strengthening the integrity of elections.

However, the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties have questioned the transparency, methodology and timing of the exercise, alleging that it could lead to the disenfranchisement of genuine voters , particularly migrant workers, economically weaker sections, elderly citizens and people lacking prescribed documents. The Opposition has also accused the Commission of displaying partisan asymmetry in enforcing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) .

Ramesh said the strongest criticism of the SIR had come not only from Opposition parties but also from former senior civil servants. He cited Ram Sevak Sharma , the first Director General of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) , who reportedly wrote that the exercise had become "damaging and devastating." Ramesh noted that Sharma had held several key positions under the Modi government , arguing that his criticism carried significant credibility.

The Congress leader also referred to former Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi , who recently criticised the SIR, saying it appeared to focus more on exclusion than inclusion and had "played havoc with democracy" by disturbing free and fair elections.

Ramesh further alleged that Gyanesh Kumar was merely executing instructions from Union Home Minister Amit Shah , an allegation for which no evidence was presented in the report. The Election Commission , meanwhile, has consistently maintained that the SIR is a routine constitutional exercise aimed at ensuring accurate and credible electoral rolls and has rejected allegations of political bias in its functioning.

The controversy has now moved to Parliament. On April 24 , 73 Opposition MPs submitted a fresh notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General seeking to move a resolution for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar . The notice alleges "proved misbehaviour" and lists nine specific charges , including the alleged partisan enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct and issues arising from the electoral roll revision. MPs from the Congress, TMC, SP, DMK, Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD, IUML and other like-minded parties have backed the move.

The removal motion invokes Article 324(5) of the Constitution, read with Article 124(4) , along with Section 11(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 , and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 . Under the Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner enjoys protection similar to that of a Supreme Court judge and can be removed only by Parliament on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity , making such proceedings exceptionally rare.

The latest notice follows the rejection of similar removal motions in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha . If taken up, it would mark the first-ever parliamentary attempt to remove a sitting Chief Election Commissioner , setting the stage for a contentious debate during the Monsoon Session , scheduled from July 20 to August 13 .