‘Invisible hand running Election Commission’: Opposition on Express report on Election Commissioners objecting to poll panel steps

The Indian Express published a report revealing that two of the three Election Commissioners have raised concerns over being kept in the dark about crucial decisions, the addition of new voters, and the deletion of names from the voter database. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have called these actions unauthorised and illegal, warning against the centralisation of voter data in Delhi, which bypasses state officials.

The Congress party has seized on these findings, accusing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of ruling like a dictator and engaging in vote manipulation to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They assert that Gyanesh Kumar is effectively a puppet of Modi, causing significant damage to India's democratic processes. The party's X post states, "Modi and Gyanesh together have caused great damage to the country's democracy."

Reacting to the report, Congress leader Manish Tewari declared that the findings suggest an 'invisible hand' is governing the Election Commission. He argues that if the report's facts are accurate, the Elections Commission's decisions appear arbitrary and potentially illegal. Tewari raises the possibility of impeachment proceedings, emphasizing the urgent need to restore the Commission's credibility. He questions how this can be achieved, suggesting the Commission's reputation may be irreparably damaged.