Indian opposition demands removal of election commission chief — Dawn

India’s opposition parties are demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a report on the possible illegality of decisions concerning the revision of voter rolls. Dawn reports.

Revision of voter rolls

India’s Election Commission has come under close scrutiny in recent months over a nationwide revision of voter registers. Since last year, millions of names have been removed from the lists. The ruling party says the procedure is intended to exclude people registered fraudulently. At the same time, the opposition says the revision is politically motivated and may affect legitimate voters.

Opposition statements

The Indian Express newspaper reported internal disagreements within the three-member Election Commission. According to its data, Kumar rejected objections from the body’s two other members at least 14 times over the past 10 months. The publication says this resulted in the removal of about 130 million voters from the lists.

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According to the Indian Express, such decisions may be illegal, as the commission must operate on the basis of agreement by at least two members. The Indian National Congress party accused Kumar of acting unilaterally in favor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said on social media that the situation in the election commission had proved chaotic, dysfunctional and alarming. Another Congress leader, K. C. Venugopal, called for Kumar’s immediate removal and an investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, accused the commission chief of manipulation during voting.