India’s opposition seeks Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation after the Indian Express reported that two of three election commissioners objected at least 14 times to decisions tied to 130 million voter omissions. The Election Commission says decisions were unanimous and legally valid.
India’s constitution says decisions by the three-member Election Commission should be made by consensus or majority. The Indian Express reported that some key Special Intensive Revision (SIR) decisions may have been taken without approval from two commissioners; the ECI has not publicly identified who authorized the challenged orders.
The ECI says the SIR, which began last year, aims to identify fraudulent registrations, keep eligible voters on the rolls and prevent illegal immigrants from voting. Critics say it has disproportionately affected marginalized and minority communities. Members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party have long alleged that undocumented Muslim migrants from Bangladesh entered electoral rolls fraudulently. Opposition parties also want a Supreme Court-led investigation and an independent probe into both the commission and the revision.
