Pinarayi Vijayan Demands CEC's Removal, Halt to SIR
“The right to vote belongs to the people of India. It cannot be manipulated to serve the political interests of the BJP and Sangh Parivar,” the former Kerala CM said
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Keralam Chief Minister and State Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a post on X, Vijayan said revelations about objections reportedly raised by two Election Commissioners over decisions related to voter registration, deletion of names and SIR had raised serious questions about the functioning of the Election Commission of India.
“The revelations about objections raised by two Election Commissioners over decisions concerning voter registration, deletion of names and #SIR raise grave questions about the functioning of the ECI. CEC Gyanesh Kumar must be removed, SIR must be halted, the voting rights of those wrongfully excluded must be restored, and the independence and credibility of the Election Commission must be protected,” Vijayan said.
“The right to vote belongs to the people of India. It cannot be manipulated to serve the political interests of the BJP and Sangh Parivar,” he added.
Vijayan’s remarks came amid an escalating political row over the SIR exercise triggered by an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi - had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding procedures, database changes, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections indicate a breakdown or institutional dissent within the poll panel.
It said differing views, observations and internal checks are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body, while maintaining that final decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously.
The ECI has also defended the functioning of its ECINet platform, saying it is a decentralised system designed under the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, with statutory functions carried out by designated election officials through secure credentials.
