Wayanad, Sep 2026 : Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should face criminal prosecution if allegations of illegal tampering with electoral rolls are established, intensifying the political controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Speaking to reporters in Wayanad, Priyanka alleged that interference with the electoral process and large-scale deletion of voters would constitute a serious offence against democracy and the Constitution. She said constitutional officials should not receive legal protection if they were found to have committed illegal acts.
“Anybody who plays around with the democratic process of our elections is committing treason against this nation,” Priyanka said, according to reports. She argued that if allegations of illegal action were established, the Chief Election Commissioner should be treated under the law like any other person accused of a criminal offence.
Priyanka also alleged that around 13 crore names had been deleted from electoral rolls during the SIR exercise and described the deletions as a criminal act against democracy and the Constitution. The figure is linked to an Indian Express report that said more than 13 crore names had been struck off draft voter rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the revision process.
She further alleged that Kumar was aware of irregularities and had been informed about them by fellow Election Commissioners but nevertheless allowed what she described as an unfair electoral process to continue.
Her remarks followed an Indian Express report stating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period concerning decisions and orders related to electoral-roll management and the SIR process.
According to the report, the objections covered several issues, including changes to Form 6 for new voter registration, access to electoral-roll databases, centralisation of election software, voter deletions and the handling of appeals. The reported objections have triggered renewed scrutiny of the Election Commission's internal decision-making.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions that the reported objections indicate an institutional split. ECI officials said all decisions, including those concerning SIR, had the approval of all three commissioners and were taken unanimously. The poll panel described written observations, technical suggestions and internal checks as a normal part of the functioning of a multi-member constitutional body.
The Commission said internal queries and suggestions raised during the drafting stage were intended to strengthen transparency, legal compliance and the electoral process. It maintained that official orders and decisions were issued in accordance with applicable laws and established procedures.
The Election Commission is a three-member constitutional body comprising the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. The controversy over SIR has now become a major political issue, with opposition parties questioning the process while the poll panel maintains that its decisions have been unanimous and legally sanctioned.
Priyanka’s remarks add to the Opposition’s demands for greater accountability and scrutiny of the electoral-roll revision process, while the ECI continues to defend the procedure and its internal decision-making.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
