If pardoned for one murder, I would have shot Gyanesh Kumar: VIP Chief Mukesh Sahni over SIR row

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 24, 2026: Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief and former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahni trained guns at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying that he would have “shot him" if “pardoned for one murder."

His remarks came a day after an Indian Express report claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders issued in connection with electoral-roll procedures.

The objections, according to the report, included issues related to Form 6 for new voters, additions and deletions from electoral rolls and the gradual centralisation of voter database systems.

Addressing Gyanesh Kumar, Sahni told reporters: “I want to tell Gyanesh Kumar… have some shame that you are playing with the Constitution of the country. If we were forgiven for committing one murder, I would have shot Gyanesh Kumar".

The VIP leader alleged a collusion between the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Democracy is being stifled, elections symbolises the people’s power to remove those who don’t work; Election Commission has become the BJP Commission, CEC Gyanesh Kumar must realise that he is playing with the constitution", he said, reported PTI. 

ECI Rejects Report 

The Election Commission on Wednesday rejected the suggestion that the aforementioned objections represented institutional dissent over the Commission’s final decisions. The poll panel said differences of opinion, queries and suggestions during the draft stage are part of its regular administrative and decision-making process.

The poll body maintained that all decisions taken by the three-member Commission, including those concerning SIR, were unanimous.

However, the report has triggered a political storm in the country, with several opposition leaders seeking greater scrutiny of the Election Commission’s working style and decision-making process.