Congress Protests Seeking CEC Removal, BJP Hits Back Citing Kerala Polls And Historical Mandates

India Today

A political standoff has escalated between the opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over the functioning of the Election Commission of India and calls demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Congress party launched protests across multiple cities, alleging match-fixing of elections and demanding that the CEC step down or turn approver. In response, BJP leaders, including Union Minister JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accused the Congress of blaming democratic institutions and electronic voting machines for repeated electoral defeats. The BJP countered the opposition's claims by pointing out that Congress leaders in Kerala had previously praised the Special Intensive Revision process following their electoral win in the state. BJP leaders also highlighted state election outcomes where opposition parties emerged victorious, urging the Congress to self-introspect rather than discredit constitutional bodies.

Transcript

00:00The war over the functioning of the Election Commission and the opposition demanding the ouster of the Chief Election Commissioner,

00:07Gyanesh Kumar, is escalating.

00:09The BJP now has come out all guns blazing, accusing the Congress Party in particular and the opposition in general

00:16for blaming the Election Commissioner, the CEC and the Election Commission for their electoral failures, poll after polls.

00:26So from Union Health Minister J.P. Nadat to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP hit back today.

00:33They accused the Congress of weakening democratic institutions for political vested interests.

00:40From blaming the electronic voting machines earlier to the CEC and the EC now, but not looking within.

00:49That's the BJP's charge at the opposition and the Congress in particular.

00:53But the Congress came out all guns blazing with protests across multiple cities, insisting these protests will continue

01:00till the CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, is either removed or turns approver.

01:05Congress MP Pawan Kheda called the Election Commission clarification on the issues raised as too lame, too little and too

01:14late.

01:15Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, of match-fixing elections.

01:21He cited reports alleging Gyanesh Kumar, while serving as an IAS officer, had helped recruit a former Kerala

01:28chief secretary for the BJP. He made the offer, according to this report.

01:34The BJP, on the other hand, is citing Congress leaders in Kerala praising the SIR process, saying

01:40cleaning of the electoral rolls led to the Congress victory in Kerala.

01:44So, the BJP says, Rahul Gandhi ridiculously claims that wherever there is SIR, there is vote

01:53chori. On the 4th of May, 2026, when the Kerala Assembly election results were announced,

02:00the current Congress Home Minister of Kerala, Ramesh Chanithala, lauded and appreciated how the

02:06SIR process had actually helped the Congress win by removing bogus votes from the electoral rolls.

02:13Ramesh Chanithala, incidentally, is not the only Congress leader who praised the SIR process

02:19and lauded the removal of bogus voters. Two days later. So, Ramesh Chanithala spoke on the

02:244th of May. On 6th of May, Congress MLA-elect, that time, Matthew Kuzal Nandan, he was quoted

02:35saying words to the effect, of course, the SIR process also removed fake voters, which in some

02:41constituencies at least was managed by the CPIM. So, that also helped us. So, if Gyanesh Kumar is

02:48fixing matches in favor of the BJP, as the Congress alleges, the BJP asks, Gyanesh Kumar was appointed

02:55the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on the 19th of February, 2025. So, how did BJP win

03:03elections in 2014, 2019 and 2024? So, for example, in 2014, V.S. Sampath was the CEC. He was appointed

03:12during the tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister and that was 2012. Or post-2024, when you

03:19look at the bigger picture and let me get you some of those elections that the BJP won or

03:25the Congress won. BJP retained Haryana, 48 of 90. Retained or regained Maharashtra. Won Delhi from

03:33the Aam Admi Party, 48 of 70. Retained or won Bihar. It was an India landslide and the BJP became

03:40the single largest party. Retained Assam. BJP winning 82 of 126. Won West Bengal handsomely. Restored

03:50from the Thirmul Congress, 207 of 294. Retained Pudchari. That, of course, was the NDA victory.

03:58So, yes, the BJP had or the NDA had multiple victories. But the Election Commission also declared

04:07Congress or India Alliance or opposition parties victorious, for example, the Congress won

04:12Kerala. The BJP says, same Election Commission, same SIR process. Congress won Kerala. Congress

04:20leaders praised the SIR process. The TVK won Tamil Nadu and Congress joined hands. Congress

04:26became an alliance partner. So, Congress also won Tamil Nadu. National Conference. So, from

04:32Tamil Nadu, let me take you straight up to Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference formed the

04:35government in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. JMM and Congress, they retained

04:41Jharkhand. So, is there merit in the opposition blaming the CEC or the Election Commission?

04:48We'll come to that in just a moment. But I want to begin by showing you two pictures.

04:54One, massive protests across the country in multiple cities by the Congress. And two,

05:00the BJP using this opportunity to hit back at the opposition, saying that Congress blames

05:06the Election Commission or EVM when voters reject the Congress party. So, from Uttar Pradesh

05:12Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, multiple Chief

05:17Ministers of BJP-ruled states or NDA-ruled states came out. From Bihar to Bengal, Rajasthan to Delhi,

05:24their message is clear. Questioning institutions, and you must question them. That's legitimate.

05:29But allegations should be backed by hard facts. And the Congress, according to them, needs to look

05:37within for electoral losses. Listen in.

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06:49to prepare for the people's confidence.

06:54We will prepare for this process.

06:58We will prepare for this process.

06:59We will prepare for the energy of this process.

07:03This picture is very clear picture.

07:07Maamata Bena Ji, CPM is a position of the position.

07:10If you are talking about the position of the position,

07:12it is a position of the position.

07:23The law is not called the Supreme Court.

07:37The law is not called the Supreme Court.

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