Congress protests over ECI objections it cannot yet show

The Telangana Congress held protests in Hyderabad and across the state on Monday, September 28, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an explanation from the Election Commission of India over reported internal objections on electoral-roll decisions.

TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud also demanded disclosure of objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. Published investigations have reported that the two commissioners objected several times over 10 months to decisions involving voter additions and deletions, restoration of names, Form 6 and access to voter-data systems. The alleged internal communications have not been made available in the ECI material reviewed here.

A separate report said Joshi described a proposed Form 6 declaration as “illegal” and “unauthorised”, with Sandhu later using the same terms. The ECI has reportedly rejected the description of a formal split and said final decisions, including on the Special Intensive Revision, were unanimous. Its public material confirms the commission’s three-member composition and its work on SIR, but does not answer the specific allegations.

The ECI’s preferred phrase is “Fair rolls lead to fair polls”. Telangana voters are still waiting for the paperwork behind the fair-roll story.