Top News

‘CEC Declared War On Opposition’: INDIA Bloc Accuses Election Commission Of Bias, Inaction On Complaints
ABP Live News | August 18, 2025 7:11 PM CST

The political confrontation between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and opposition parties has escalated sharply, with INDIA bloc leaders accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of acting in favour of the ruling party. The row, centred around alleged large-scale voter list discrepancies , dubbed 'vote chori' by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has now taken the shape of calls for an impeachment motion against the CEC.

Opposition Alleges Selective Silence, “Bias” in ECI

Addressing the INDIA bloc press conference at the Constitution Club, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi charged the EC with double standards, saying, “In its press conference yesterday, the EC raised questions about the political parties when they had to explain why they were conducting SIR in a hurry. EC was silent on SIR in Bihar. They were also silent on how new 70 lakh voters were added between Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections….It is clear that EC is under such officials who are not unbiased”, news agency ANI reported.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra demanded action against past ECs for “fraudulent” voter rolls and called for dissolving the Lok Sabha. She also raised the matter of unresolved duplicate EPIC voter cards flagged by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

She termed CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s presser as “an absolutely shameful display of puppetry by the Chief Election Commissioner at press conference yesterday.” “The job of the Election Commission is not to attack the Opposition. Mr Chief Election Commissioner, I would urge that you go back to your political masters,” she remarked.

TMC's Mahua Moitra questioned, "How is it possible that dead people are in the draft list and living people are on the deleted list? How can a dead person be on a draft list? It can only happen because the BLOs were signing the form themselves...In just two districts of Bihar - Darbhanga and Kaimur, the BLO has marked “not recommended” for 10 to 12%. If we average this for the rest of Bihar, it means 80 lakh people will be marked “not recommended” and subjected to an arbitrary verification."

"So based on all of this, we can go on till the cows come home. But can I tell you, based on just these five points the CEC mentioned yesterday, this is ludicrous. It is not the job of the Chief Election Commissioners to attack the opposition. Your job, sir, is to go into great detail on the valid queries raised by the opposition", she remarked, as per news agency ANI.

RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha also criticised the poll body, stressing, “We are getting strength from the Constitution of India…I want to tell the CEC that EC is not synonymous with the Constitution, but rather it is born from it. Don’t rip it to shreds. This book is a protection and safeguard; it cannot be a shield for your defiance of the Constitutional propriety and morality…”

He further alleged political motives behind the EC’s timing, adding, “Sunday was deliberately chosen because yesterday at 11 AM in Sasaram, Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and the opposition had launched the ‘Vote Bachao Yatra.’ They felt the need to block that message in some way…”

On any possible boycott of the Bihar election, Jha remarked, “Boycotting elections is an overreaction. The context of what Tejashwi Yadav said should be understood. The foundation of the Election Commission that Sukumar Sen laid should be preserved. The Election Commission represents the people. The Supreme Court will certainly intervene in this. The Commission should improve its image.”

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva questioned the poll body’s actions following the Supreme Court’s direction, remarking, “The CEC has given no clarification regarding the recent Supreme Court direction that it should publish details of all 65 lakh voters. Our concern is why CEC is carrying out SIR in Bihar in a hasty manner…why is the addition of new voters abnormally low?… This issue is not about the political parties but the common man in the country.”

Samajwadi Party Alleges Inaction On Prior Complaints, CPI-M Says 'CEC Declared War On Oppn Parties'

SP’s Ramgopal Yadav alleged that the EC ignored affidavits submitted on voter deletions in 2022, adding, “SP leaders gave affidavit on removal of 18000 voters from electoral rolls in 2022 but no action by EC.” “Election Commission saying that baseless complaints being made is wrong...In UP, the process to cut votes has already started...All this is done in a calculated way, and EC ignores our complaints. This is a serious issue,” he noted.

CPI-M MP John Brittas claimed the EC had turned partisan, saying, “Seems CEC has declared war on Opposition parties, EC has become B-team of govt.” He added that the opposition felt the body was “biased, selective and unfair.” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant alleged that the CEC’s conduct resembled that of a ruling party spokesperson, calling it “whimsical behaviour.”

CEC Is Either A Fool Or Considers Us Fools: AAP MP Sanjay Singh

IANS quoted AAP MP Sanjay Singh as launching a scathing attack on Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar: “After listening to Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar yesterday, it felt that his name should be ‘Agyanesh Kumar,’ because he spoke out of ignorance. Either he (Gyanesh Kumar) is a fool, or he is deliberately acting like a fool, or he considers us fools. He is making such illogical statements that we are astonished. He did not answer even a single question that was asked to him. From 25 June to 25 July, he deleted 65 lakh votes in SIR but did not add a single vote in Bihar, and yet you say that you are conducting SIR.”

Congress Hits Back at CEC’s 7-Day Ultimatum To Rahul Gandhi

The Congress also reacted sharply to the ultimatum issued by CEC Kumar. PTI reported that the party said, before asking Rahul Gandhi for an affidavit, the poll body should itself submit one before the Supreme Court affirming that its voter list was clean.

The opposition party also accused the CEC of sounding like a “BJP spokesperson” during his Sunday press conference. The ultimatum required Gandhi to either submit an affidavit within seven days substantiating his allegations or apologise to the nation.

CEC Kumar, without naming Gandhi, countered at his press briefing: “An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless.”

He dismissed claims of manipulation, saying repeated assertions did not make them true. “The sun rises only in the east. It does not rise in the west just because someone says so,” he remarked, asserting that the EC stood “fearlessly” with all voters without discrimination.

Gandhi, however, alleged selective targeting, saying, “The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur (BJP MP) says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him.”

Impeachment Motion on the Horizon?

The INDIA bloc is reporedly now considering an impeachment motion against the CEC. According to Article 324(5) of the Constitution, a CEC can only be removed through the same process as a Supreme Court judge — requiring a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament, a number the Opposition currently does not command.

"Will take the right decision at the right time," Gaurav Gogoi remarked on possible impeachment proceedings against CEC, while RJD's Manoj Jha said, "We have all parliamentary, legal options open before us."

Congress leader Syed Naseer Hussain hinted at utilising all available options: “Whatever ‘weapon’ is available in a democracy, whatever we can use under the rules, we will use it if needed.”

The row was triggered after Rahul Gandhi alleged “vote chori” in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana, claiming the EC manipulated data in favour of the BJP. At his August 7 press conference, he specifically accused the poll body of enabling BJP’s Lok Sabha victory through “1,00,250 stolen votes” in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore Central. He also flagged irregularities such as duplicate entries, house numbers listed as zero, and 80 voters shown at the same address.

READ NEXT
Cancel OK