Guwahati/Nagaon, September 27: The political controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar intensified in Assam after Congress leaders stepped up their criticism, focusing on both his handling of electoral processes and recent remarks by a BJP parliamentarian.
Speaking in Nagaon on Saturday, Assam Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi took strong exception to comments by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya, who had reportedly praised Kumar and suggested he deserved the Padma Bhushan. Gogoi described the praise as evidence of the BJP’s backing for the CEC.
“Padma Bhushan? The BJP will make him the President,” Gogoi said, alleging that the Election Commission’s functioning under Kumar had raised serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process. He claimed an “IT cell” had emerged within the CEC’s office and alleged it could influence decisions on the inclusion of new voters in electoral rolls.
“Now, Gyanesh Kumar’s IT cell will determine whether or not a new 18-year-old voter gets included in the electoral roll,” Gogoi said. He demanded Kumar’s resignation and urged the CEC to disclose who, according to him, was directing “illegal and unconstitutional acts” that had “shattered the integrity” of the Election Commission of India. Gogoi also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s call for Kumar to “turn approver.”
The remarks form part of a wider opposition campaign against Kumar that gained momentum after an investigative report by The Indian Express on September 23. The report stated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period to certain decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming some were issued without their knowledge.
Congress has organised nationwide protests demanding Kumar’s resignation or removal. In Assam, Gogoi and several party leaders were detained on Friday during a demonstration outside the state Election Commission office in Guwahati.
Congress MP from Dhubri, Rakibul Hussain, has also targeted the issue. He alleged discrepancies in the Election Commission’s functioning and linked them to concerns over the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll process, demanding Kumar’s immediate suspension. On the broader controversy, Hussain said reported differences within the poll panel vindicated earlier concerns raised by Rahul Gandhi.
Referring to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s defence of Kumar, Hussain said: “Once Gyanesh Kumar’s actions came under scrutiny, look at how Himanta Biswa Sarma is behaving because he, too, will be exposed.” He further alleged, “A thief’s friend is a thief,” while criticising the Chief Minister’s stance.
Sarma has dismissed the criticism of Kumar as a “political campaign” driven by the opposition’s frustration. He has maintained that the Election Commission is a collective body and that decisions are taken either by consensus or majority. “I don’t think, factually, that the CEC can take any decision without the other two commissioners,” Sarma said, adding that portraying Kumar as acting unilaterally did not fit the constitutional framework.
The Election Commission has maintained that its final decisions, including those on the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously by the full Commission and that differing views during deliberations are normal in any institution.
The controversy continues to dominate political discourse in Assam and nationally, with opposition parties insisting on accountability and the ruling side defending the institutional process.