Jaipur, Oct 5 (PTI) Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot on Monday said that if a vice-president of India could resign suddenly citing health issues, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar too could step down amid the controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission.
The former Rajasthan chief minister also said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue of “vote theft” much before the present controversy surrounding the EC and the SIR exercise, but his concerns were not taken seriously at the time.
Former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar had resigned from his office on July 21, 2025, citing health reasons and the need to follow medical advice.
“If the vice-president can resign suddenly, why can’t Gyanesh Kumar? At least one chapter should close, and a new beginning should be made,” Gehlot told reporters here.
Gyanesh Kumar has been under fire ever since a report in The Indian Express claimed that two election commissioners – Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi – had objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR exercise that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
“Rahul Gandhi had said long ago that votes were being stolen and something wrong was happening, but nobody paid attention to what he was saying,” Gehlot said.
The Congress leader also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should consider the issue, as the credibility of the EC and India’s electoral system were at stake.
He said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also repeatedly raised questions over the functioning of the EC and put the party’s concerns before the public in clear terms.
“The EC once enjoyed immense credibility, not only in India but across the world. It was cited as an example when elections were held in other countries. But after Gyanesh Kumar took charge as the CEC, the manner in which decisions have been taken has changed the situation,” he alleged.
Referring to the media report, Gehlot said the allegations have left people concerned about the functioning of the poll body.
“If the EC does not remain impartial, what will happen to democracy? And if there is no democracy, what kind of system would you want to run?” he asked.
Gehlot also alleged that instead of addressing the objections raised over its decisions, the EC allowed the controversy to linger.
“The row has reached a stage where Gyanesh Kumar must step down. If anything is left now, it is his resignation,” Gehlot said.
Stating that the EC’s credibility is directly linked to people’s faith in elections and democracy, Gehlot said, “The reputation of our country, our election system and our democracy has been built across the world. What will people across the world think about what is happening now?”
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Gehlot alleged that the exercise removed the names of a large number of voters.
“In the name of SIR, the EC removed the names of crores of people from the electoral rolls. This itself has become a serious issue,” he said.
Calling it a very serious issue, Gehlot urged Modi and Shah to intervene and clarify the government’s position on the matter. PTI SDA ARI
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