Bengaluru, Sep 24 — Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and called for an independent investigation into recent allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a statement, Parameshwara said recent revelations regarding objections reportedly raised by two Election Commissioners had raised serious questions about the functioning of the three-member constitutional body.
The media reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and communications they said were issued without their knowledge or approval.
The reported objections related to issues, including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), changes to Form 6 and access to the electoral-roll database.
Parameshwara asked whether the ECI, which has three Commissioners, had effectively been reduced to the authority of one individual.
"Has a three-member constitutional body been reduced to the will of one individual — Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar?" he asked.
He said the reported objections were not merely related to routine administrative matters but concerned electoral-roll management and the functioning of the systems used for voter registration and revision.
The Deputy Chief Minister referred specifically to reported objections over changes made to Form 6, the statutory form used for new voter registration.
According to the reported internal records, the two Commissioners had raised concerns that the changes could not be made without amendments to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, while one objection later described the change as "unauthorised and illegal".
Parameshwara also alleged that there were concerns over the centralisation of control over the electoral-roll database and the bypassing of statutory officials at the state level.
He said the developments had added weight to concerns previously raised by Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, over electoral rolls, voter turnout data and alleged irregularities in different states.
Referring to the ongoing SIR exercise, Parameshwara added that the process in Karnataka had added to concerns over the integrity and transparency of electoral rolls.
He pointed to around 1.08 crore voters who were flagged under Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead, and Others (ASDDO) categories in Karnataka's draft electoral rolls, including 46.88 lakh in Bengaluru.
He also referred to around 43.8 lakh voters who faced notices over "logical discrepancies" or lack of mapping.
The figures were reported by the Election Commission during the Karnataka SIR exercise.
"The Chief Election Commissioner is first among equals, not above the Commission," Parameshwara said, adding that decisions affecting the electoral process should follow the principle of collective decision-making.
He alleged that if decisions had been taken by bypassing the other two Commissioners, it would raise serious questions about the functioning of the constitutional body and require independent scrutiny.
Parameshwara said the developments had affected public confidence in the Election Commission and called for steps to restore trust in the electoral process.
"I strongly condemn the manner in which CEC Gyanesh Kumar has functioned in the face of these serious revelations," he added.
He demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be removed as Chief Election Commissioner while the allegations are examined through an independent and impartial investigation.
"India's elections and the faith of every voter in our democracy demand nothing less," he said.
However, Election Commission officials have rejected reports of an internal rift, saying that all decisions taken by the Commission, including those relating to SIR, had the approval of all three Election Commissioners.
The clarification came after the report about the 14 objections by Sandhu and Joshi.