Siddaramaiah Calls for Removal of Karnataka Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

Bengaluru, September 23 (Daily Kiran) : Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, citing troubling internal disputes within the Election Commission. On Wednesday, he revealed that two election commissioners had submitted written objections regarding several decisions made by the commission.

In a statement to the media, Siddaramaiah expressed his concerns over the alarming events emerging from the Election Commission. He claimed that election commissioners Sukbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times in the past ten months regarding decisions and actions taken by the three-member commission led by Gyanesh Kumar.

According to Siddaramaiah, these objections pertain to issues such as the registration of new voters, additions and removals from the voter list, control over the voter list database, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He referenced media reports indicating that one commissioner objected to the addition of a new question on Form-6, used for registering new voters, without the necessary legal amendments. This change was reportedly labeled as “unauthorized and illegal.”

Siddaramaiah also expressed concern over the gradual centralization of the voter list database. He alleged that there are restrictions on the access of legally authorized local election officials to manage the voter list. He questioned who holds control over the voter list arrangements, the legitimacy of changes being made, and why state-level officials lack full access to the database.

He further highlighted the SIR process in West Bengal, questioning who filed appeals to remove approximately 1.6 million voters’ names after judicial authorities ordered their inclusion. He noted that neither Sandhu nor the other election commissioners, nor the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, had been informed about the basis of such decisions.

Siddaramaiah accused both election commissioners of objecting to the issuance of letters and directives in the name of the commission without their approval. He asserted that the Election Commission must operate in an institutional manner, adhering to constitutional and legal standards. It should not appear to favor any political party or government.

He warned that if members of the Election Commission frequently raise objections to its operations, public trust in the electoral process could be compromised. Siddaramaiah called for full transparency and public clarification regarding the SIR process, changes to voter lists, and the alleged disputes within the commission.

Describing the issue as critical to protecting citizens’ voting rights, he urged President Droupadi Murmu to remove Gyanesh Kumar from his position and to direct the central government to investigate the matter. He emphasized the necessity of free, fair, and transparent elections for democracy, insisting that the Election Commission must remain autonomous and accountable.