Gyanesh Kumar should resign: Rahul Gandhi targets EC amid SIR dissent row
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Sep 25, 2026: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday stepped up his attack on the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the poll process was being compromised and questioning how anti-incumbency had seemingly disappeared in recent elections.
Addressing a press conference, Gandhi said he wanted people to examine speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in which, he claimed, they had spoken about the BJP remaining in power for the next 50 years.
“I come from a political family. I know how anti-incumbency works. It doesn’t spare any party,” Gandhi said, citing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s electoral history as an example. He said that even after the 1971 Bangladesh war and a period of high popularity, the Congress suffered a major defeat two years later. But it doesn’t happen to BJP, Modi and Amit Shah,” he said.
‘Anti-incumbency has disappeared’
Gandhi questioned how anti-incumbency, which he described as a normal feature of electoral politics, could seemingly disappear in recent state elections.
“We can understand the popularity of a leader, but how does anti-incumbency never come?” he asked, referring to recent electoral outcomes. “Elections are being rigged, from Loksabha to State Assemblies. Two election commissioners are raising question on Gyanesh Kumar. I have been asking questions but they never answered. Gyanesh Kumar was chosen by PM Modi and Shah."
His remark came after The Indian Express reported that questions were repeatedly raised within the three-member Election Commission over issues related to the SIR by Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Gandhi said the disappearance of anti-incumbency in several states had raised fundamental questions about the electoral process, pointing to Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
“Haryana swings from one party to another for 50 years. Suddenly anti-incumbency disappears. Maharashtra swings; suddenly it disappears. Uttar Pradesh swings. Sometimes Samajwadi, sometimes BSP; it disappears. Madhya Pradesh, it disappears. Gujarat, it disappears,” Gandhi said.
“We can understand the popularity of a person, and the performance of a government, but we cannot understand how anti-incumbency disappears,” he said.
Gandhi said the vote was the foundation of the constitutional system.
“From the vote, which is supposed to be protected by the Election Commission, our Constitution gets its power. From the Constitution, our laws are made, and from our laws emerge our institutions. This is a chain,” he said.
“If the vote has been destroyed, then our Constitution has been destroyed. If our Constitution has been destroyed, our laws are illegal. If our laws are illegal, our institutions are meaningless,” Gandhi said.