AAP demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, cites report on Election Commissioner’s objections to SIR
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, September 23, 2026: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, following an Indian Express report that said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections 14 times over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
AAP leader and Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia accused Kumar of compromising the electoral process and described him as a “murderer of democracy”. He alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had acted in favour of the BJP and called for his resignation.
“If Gyanesh Kumar is so devoted to the BJP, he should resign as Chief Election Commissioner,” Sisodia said, alleging that Kumar had ignored objections raised by his fellow Election Commissioners.
The Indian Express report cited by AAP said Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months concerning decisions taken during the SIR exercise, including issues related to adding voters and deleting names from electoral rolls.
However, the Election Commission has rejected claims of a formal division within the three-member panel. According to an ECI response reported on Wednesday, differences of opinion among constitutional functionaries can occur, but decisions on SIR and other matters were taken unanimously.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the SIR process had resulted in large-scale deletion of names from electoral rolls. He demanded that elections affected by what he described as irregularities be cancelled and held again.
Singh also claimed that 47 lakh names had been excluded from Delhi's draft electoral roll, asking whether such a large number of voters could be treated as ineligible. The figure refers to names excluded from the draft roll and does not by itself establish that all those voters have been permanently removed from the electoral rolls. Delhi voters whose names were excluded have been given an opportunity to file claims and objections.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticised the SIR exercise and called for opposition parties to jointly protest against the Election Commission. He alleged that the process was depriving eligible voters of their voting rights.
AAP Gujarat in-charge Gopal Rai accused the Election Commission of compromising its impartiality and alleged that recent electoral victories of the BJP were linked to manipulation of the electoral system. These allegations were not independently established in the statements.
AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also called Gyanesh Kumar a “puppet of the BJP” and demanded his removal.
The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of the SIR exercise. The Election Commission's official website lists Gyanesh Kumar as the Chief Election Commissioner, with Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as Election Commissioners.
The Delhi SIR process has also come under legal scrutiny, with the Supreme Court hearing a plea seeking greater transparency over notices issued to voters. More than 33 lakh voters received notices, while over 47 lakh names were excluded from the draft electoral roll; the claims-and-objections process is continuing.