‘CEC ran ECI on his own’: Kejriwal seeks Gyanesh Kumar’s arrest, fresh elections
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Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called for the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of recent Assembly elections, citing an Indian Express investigation that flagged internal dissent within the Election Commission of India (ECI).
At a press conference, Kejriwal said: “Gyanesh Kumar was running the Election Commission of India on his own.”
He demanded that electoral rolls from three years ago be reinstated and that fresh elections be held for the Assemblies of Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
“Through this press conference, we demand that Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested and prosecuted. All the elections held in the last few years should be cancelled and held again. The Election Commission is not the name of one individual. It comprises three members… one Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners,” he said.
“All three participate in meetings, where decisions are taken either unanimously or by majority. None of the three has the authority to take decisions individually. No single person can run the Election Commission or issue orders to its officers. The Chief Election Commissioner is described in English as ‘First Among Equals.’ All three are equal… the Chief Election Commissioner only chairs and presides over the meetings and does not have any additional authority,” Kejriwal said.
Alleging manipulation of voter rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Kejriwal described it as the “nation’s biggest scandal” that has shaken the roots of the country.
“…The entire SIR process, in line with which over 13 crore names were struck off voter lists in 30 states is completely illegal because it had not been officially approved by the Election Commission,” he said.
The Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had complained on record about being kept in the dark on decisions to add new voters and delete names, calling the steps “unauthorised and illegal”.
They warned against centralising access to the voter database in Delhi, a move they said would bypass state officials.
On concerns over the integrity of voter software, the dissenting Commissioners also approached the Cabinet Secretary, marking an unprecedented rupture inside the ECI and raising questions over its conduct.