Opposition parties demanded impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday after The Indian Express reported that his two colleagues on the three-member Election Commission logged at least 14 formal objections over ten months to voter-list changes they described as unauthorized and illegal.
What the records show
The Express investigation, published Wednesday morning in New Delhi, centers on alterations to Form 6, the portal document young and first-time voters use to register. Internal notes cited by the newspaper show Sandhu and Joshi warned in May that adding certain Aadhaar-linked declarations without amending the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, was illegal and required Law Ministry notification after consultation with the commission.
Sandhu wrote that despite “very clear views” from two commissioners, unauthorized changes remained online, harassing eligible voters. The report ties the dispute to the pan-India Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, a cleanup drive that opposition parties say has deleted names without transparent hearings in several states.
Opposition moves in Parliament and courts
The Hindu reported Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition chiefs asked Parliament to begin removal proceedings against Kumar and urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the Express findings. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien said more than 60 upper-house lawmakers had already moved a motion five months ago and called for it to be revived after Wednesday’s disclosures.
Parties across the INDIA bloc framed the episode as evidence the commission’s independence is compromised, alleging Kumar acted on directions from the political executive. The Bharatiya Janata Party did not immediately issue a detailed rebuttal; instead, commission sources told PTI that all decisions, including on the intensive revision, were unanimous and approved by all three members.
Commission pushback
Times of India quoted officials saying Sandhu and Joshi had flagged deletions and database handling but that final orders still carried unanimous signatures. Officials pointed to Supreme Court guidance that the commission should decide unanimously when possible, with majority views prevailing when needed—a legal standard opposition lawyers say does not excuse keeping disputed Form 6 language live against recorded dissents.
Election administrators in several states paused public hearings on deletion lists this week as the political temperature rose. State chief electoral officers awaited fresh legal guidance from Delhi on whether young voters registering online must accept the contested declarations.
Why Form 6 matters now
India’s next major state election cycle will lean heavily on digital registration among voters turning 18 after the 2024 general election. Civil society groups said confusing portal language could suppress first-time enrollment in urban wards where turnout already lags rural belts.
For the politics desk, the new fact is documentary: two election commissioners allegedly objected fourteen times, branding roll steps illegal, while the chief commissioner’s office insists unanimity held. Parliament’s removal math is steep, but the paper trail alone has shifted Wednesday’s agenda from campaign rhetoric to procedure—and that is where Indian democracy often gets tested.
