Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday called for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and sought a court-monitored probe following an Indian Express report on differences within the Election Commission (EC).
In a post on X, Banerjee alleged that the reported decisions concerning electoral rolls raised serious questions about the functioning of the poll panel.
"The CEC must be removed immediately and a court-monitored investigation ordered. Disenfranchising lakhs of voters to allegedly benefit one political party strikes at the very foundation of our democracy. Those responsible must be held accountable."
Questions over earlier concerns
Banerjee also referred to concerns raised by opposition parties after the West Bengal Assembly elections. He said parties belonging to the INDIA bloc had written to the Chief Justice of India and other Supreme Court judges, raising what he described as serious concerns.
"After the West Bengal elections, all opposition parties of INDIA wrote to the CJI and SC judges raising serious concerns. Those allegations, however, were neither examined nor given the scrutiny they deserved."
'Supreme Court cannot look away'
The TMC leader said the repeated raising of concerns without what he described as adequate scrutiny could affect perceptions of institutional impartiality.
"When grave questions affecting the democratic process are repeatedly raised and yet remain unheard, it inevitably raises questions about institutional impartiality."
He further urged the Supreme Court to examine the matter.
"The Supreme Court cannot look away. The buck stops there."
Banerjee ended his post with a direct question to the Chief Justice-led bench, "Will the CJI-led Bench act?"
His remarks came after an Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected on record to Election Commission decisions on multiple occasions over the past 10 months. The report said their objections included issues related to electoral-roll changes and the functioning of the poll panel.