The Congress party condemned the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday, saying the poll body is in “damage control” mode after a media expose revealed internal differences. The party demanded an immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which it says has disenfranchised crores of voters. It also called for the resignation or prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, stating that nothing less would be acceptable.
Congress media chief Pawan Khera criticised the EC’s press note as “too lame, too little, too late,” noting that it fails to address objections raised by two commissioners regarding alterations in Form 6. General secretary Jairam Ramesh echoed these concerns, accusing the EC of “massive damage” to democracy and of using a Supreme Court order from May 27, 2026, to justify actions that allegedly targeted voters, especially the Gen Z cohort. He demanded that the CEC resign, turn approver, or face prosecution.
The party also highlighted the EC’s claim that all SIR orders were approved by all three commissioners and that changes to Form 6 were upheld by the Supreme Court. Congress pointed out that the EC’s defense does not negate the findings of the Indian Express expose, and that the Commission’s involvement of IIT/IIIT experts is a “meaningless safeguard” that does not address the core issue of centralised voter list management. The opposition called for answers regarding the alleged targeting of voters in states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Telangana, and for accountability of the CEC’s unilateral decision‑making and alleged bias against the opposition.
