CJP steps up Gyanesh Kumar resignation demand after ex-Kerala CS's election claim

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday renewed his demand for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation after former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson alleged that Kumar had offered him a BJP candidature for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

According to a report by Onmanorama, Thomson said Kumar asked him during a flight in 2016 whether he was interested in contesting the general election as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta. Thomson, who retired as Kerala chief secretary in 2016, said Kumar was "very persuasive", but that he declined the offer.

"We were together on a flight. He was waxing eloquent about Prime Minister Modi and openly asked me if I was interested in contesting as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 general elections. He was very persuasive; I declined it promptly," the report quoted him as saying.

CJP steps up demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

Sharing the report on his Instagram handle, Dipke wrote, “Gyanu must go.” In a post on X, Dipke took a dig at Kumar saying, “Ye karwayenge free and fair elections. (He will ensure free and fair elections.)”

Citing the report, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also launched an attack on Kumar and accused him of “match-fixing elections”. “First, Gyanesh Kumar, then a serving IAS officer, was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India's elections,” he wrote on X.

The allegations come amid a wider controversy surrounding the Election Commission after an investigative report by The Indian Express alleged differences between Kumar and the two other election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. According to the report, Sandhu and Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months over decisions and orders concerning electoral-roll management, including issues linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Election Commission maintains SIR decisions were unanimous

The Election Commission has maintained that key decisions, including those concerning the SIR of electoral rolls, were taken unanimously by the full Commission. It has said that differing views and observations during internal deliberations are a normal part of the functioning of a multi-member constitutional body.

The poll panel has also rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to a split in its final decision-making process.

Earlier on Friday, Dipke said CJP would launch a nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 and take it to cities across India if Kumar did not quit. The Dipke-led group has also warned of a nationwide agitation, including what it called 'Jantar Mantar 2.0'. India Today reported that Dipke had given Kumar an ultimatum to resign within 24 hours before the proposed October 2 protests.

Launching its "Election Commission Thik Karo" campaign, the CJP said it would focus on the exclusion of more than 13 crore names from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the ECI's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The Indian Express reported earlier this month that more than 13 crore names had been left out of draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories covered by the SIR. Delhi and Maharashtra recorded reductions of 32.8% and 21.1%, respectively, in their draft rolls.

CJP's call for protest was supported by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray as he said, "If Gyanesh doesn't go, Mumbai will step out against Vote Chori from 2nd October, in huge numbers!"

The Election Commission's latest position came as it continued to defend its functioning amid the controversy, reiterating that the reported internal differences did not alter the final decisions of the full Commission.