Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a “complete weapon of mass destruction” for electoral rolls in the country and said the Opposition would push for his removal as the poll panel chief.
Opposition parties had, on April 24, submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the removal of Kumar. The opposition’s fresh charges on Kumar’s “proved misbehaviour” included “continued partisan asymmetry in the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct”.
Asked whether the opposition will push for action against Kumar on the notice submitted in April, Ramesh said, “We haven’t heard anything on that. Absolutely, we have to push. I mean he’s a complete weapon of mass destruction as far as electoral rolls are concerned. The most devastating indictment of Gyanesh has come from a very senior IAS officer, who was the first director general of the Unique Identification Authority of India, and has a culturally very important name — Ram Sevak Sharma. He’s written an article detailing how damaging and devastating the entire SIR exercise has become,” he said.
“I mean this is a retired civil servant who has worked in the Modi government, he was given important positions and he’s come out and of course retired election commissioners have come out very openly against SIR,” he added, pointing out that the Chief Election Commissioner is just executing what he’s told to do by Home Minister Amit Shah.
Ramesh and TMC leader Sagarika Ghose had submitted the notice in April to the Rajya Sabha secretary general. “In the Rajya Sabha, 73 opposition MPs have just submitted a new notice of motion to their Secretary General to present an addressed resolution to the President of India, urging the removal from office of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar,” Ramesh had said on X.
“This demand is based on proven misconduct arising from his actions and errors committed on March 15, 2026 and thereafter, which falls under Article 324(5) of the Constitution of India when read with Article 124(4), as well as Section 11(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968,” he had contended.
The Congress leader had said there are now nine specific charges against the CEC, which have been recorded in “extreme detail” and which cannot be “denied or suppressed”.
Sources said members of Opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, SP, DMK, Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD and IUML, and “like-minded” parties, had signed the notice. The move came days after similar notices submitted by opposition MPs in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were rejected by the presiding officers. It was the first time that a notice seeking the removal of a CEC was submitted in Parliament.
Also read: Oppn MPs move fresh notice in RS to remove CEC Gyanesh kumara
Follow us
