Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, issued a stark ultimatum on Thursday. He wants Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign immediately. The demand follows reports that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has disrupted the electoral roll on an unprecedented scale. Ramesh cited a recent Indian Express investigation, pointing to data showing 54% of voters in Delhi were deleted or flagged. Nationally, the figure stands at nearly 12 crore voters.
The attack centers on the handling of Form 6, the statutory application for new voters. Ramesh claimed the Election Commission restricted Electoral Registration Officers' access to the ECINet software, violating the Representation of the People Act, 1950. He argued this centralization allowed the software to override valid entries. "Gen Z is being targeted for exclusion," Ramesh wrote on X. He referenced a specific incident where the Goa Chief Electoral Officer wrote to the ECI eight times in seven days to save valid voters whose names were wiped by the system.
The controversy stems from reported objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. They reportedly raised concerns that changes to Form 6 would make it harder for young, first-time voters to register. According to the Indian Express, the two commissioners wrote to the Cabinet Secretary flagging these violations of statutory authority. Ramesh used this internal friction to reinforce claims made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the past two years. He labeled the current process a "Method of Disenfranchising Indians (MODI)."
The Election Commission pushed back against the narrative of a fractured poll panel. In a statement, the EC dismissed the reports, stating that differing views are a normal part of deliberation. "All these decisions are an outcome of the unanimous decisions of the full Commission in the past one year," the poll body said. They argued that focusing on selected internal notes from a 10-month period presents a skewed picture.
The political fallout is no longer contained to electoral procedure. Ramesh warned that if Kumar does not step down, the party will turn its fire on the ruling coalition. He explicitly named Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of "diabolical designs" to compromise the democratic process. The next move lies with the CEC, who faces a direct call for his head from the Opposition's highest ranks.