Mumbai, Sep 23 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar “will go to jail”, following a media report claiming that the two Election Commissioners objected to the poll body’s steps several times on SIR.
The report claimed that the two Election Commissioners objected to the Election Commission’s steps 14 times in 10 months amid the rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and alleged that Kumar has “destroyed” the credibility of the poll panel.
Reacting to it, Raut, in a post on X, said, “Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail! He will have to go! Their masters will flee the country and run away!”
If Prime Minister Narendra Modi has even one per cent desire to save democracy, then Union Home Minister Amit Shah should be sacked from the Union cabinet, Raut told reporters in New Delhi.
“Gyanesh Kumar should also be sacked and legal action should be taken against him. If Modi ji isn’t taking action against Gyanesh Kumar, then I appeal to the President to sack the CEC,” he said.
If the President doesn’t do anything, then the Army chief should come forward to save democracy and the country, he stated.
The Rajya Sabha member also demanded that the judiciary should take cognisance of the media report.
Raut said the Election Commission of India (ECI) comprises three commissioners. Sukhbir Sindhu Sandhu and Vivek Joshi complained that they have taken 14 objections in 10 months, but they were ignored, especially in Form 6 of the SIR and other issues.
“Yet Gyanesh Kumar went ahead with it. A complaint was raised with cabinet secretary, but no action was taken on it,” Raut added.
He alleged that Kumar has committed this “treason on the instructions of Amit Shah”.
Because of the criminal conspiracy, the BJP won elections in West Bengal and Bihar. The assembly polls in Maharashtra were also won by the BJP due to Kumar, he charged.
Notably, Kumar was not the CEC when Maharashtra polls were conducted in November 2024.
Talking to PTI Videos, Raut claimed that Sandhu and Joshi have “revolted” against Kumar.
“The country is grateful to Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. They have torn the mask off Gyanesh Kumar before the country. They have torn the mask off the Home Ministry. The way people have been winning elections and working with dishonesty,” he said.
“In 10 months, these two election commissioners have taken 14 objections. This matter had gone up to the cabinet secretary, it went up to Amit Shah; Amit Shah suppressed it,” Raut alleged.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray claimed the ECI has transformed India into the “world’s largest former democracy”.
“Working as agents for one party, to finish off India’s democracy, they have snatched away the voting rights of millions of Indians,” he alleged.
“What started with the Universal Adult Franchise (elections) when India won its Independence, has now been turned into selected voter rolls by this institution. The institution itself, once impartial, is now a fraud,” Thackeray alleged. PTI PR GK
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