Top Congress leaders convened in New Delhi on Tuesday to outline a strategy for intensifying pressure on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the government amid reported differences within the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The Congress Working Committee meeting, chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, was attended by former leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, and other senior members. Kharge highlighted that the Election Commissioners had exposed internal operations by raising concerns over SIR, changes to Form 6 for new voter enrolments, and modifications to voter lists, arguing that these issues threaten the integrity of the electoral roll.
Kharge described the situation as “very serious” and a threat to the survival of democracy, stating that the party would confront the matter with full seriousness. He warned that the issue concerns the entire country and emphasized the need for urgent action.
The opposition INDIA bloc is set to meet on Wednesday to develop a joint approach, potentially filing a notice to remove CEC Kumar in Parliament. The Election Commission has defended its actions as routine institutional deliberations, noting that the letters from Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi addressed an officer on deputation, not policy matters. Congress maintains that the EC’s SIR measures admit a “disaster” and that piecemeal steps will not prevent mass disenfranchisement, calling for the CEC’s resignation as a first step toward restoring democratic integrity.
