CPI leader Binoy Viswam demands Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged BJP ties

CPI leader Binoy Viswam has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after allegations surfaced that he sought the Bharatiya Janata Party's support in his 2016 tenure. The former Chief Secretary, Jiji Thomson, claimed that Kumar asked Thomson why he did not contest parliamentary elections on a BJP ticket, suggesting he could have become a union minister.

Viswam stated that Kumar's willingness to accept such offers indicates a lack of integrity and that he has shown a willingness to compromise the democratic process for the BJP. He further alleged that Kumar headed the Ayodhya Trust and that the BJP uses him to undermine democracy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The CPI leader believes Kumar's role as CEC is now unacceptable and that he has denied millions of Indians the right to vote. Viswam called for Kumar's immediate resignation, warning that elections cannot be free and fair under his leadership. He also demanded that electronic voting machines be removed from Indian democracy following Kumar's exit.