Former Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh has publicly accused the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of illegally deleting voter names that were added after 2003. Singh’s open letter, posted on X on 28 September 2026, also called for opposition parties to boycott elections until the CEC and the two election commissioners resign.
Key Developments
- Singh alleges that the CEC removed all voters listed by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) after 2003 without enquiry or show‑cause.
- The removal was done under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
- Singh cites Section 21 of the RP Act as being violated, arguing that a country‑wide revision is illegal.
- He also points to Form 6 being altered by adding an unauthorised appendix that asks applicants to quote a 2003 roll serial number, a requirement impossible for most young voters in 2026.
- Singh references the Supreme Court judgment Lal Babu Hussain v. Electoral Registration Officer as being breached.
- According to Singh, about 13 crore (13 %) voter names have been deleted, many of them poor or under‑privileged, while appeals are still pending.
Important Facts
The internal row in the Election Commission of India (ECI) involves the two other commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who have repeatedly questioned the CEC’s decisions. They claim they were kept in the dark about at least 14 major actions in the past ten months.
Singh argues that Section 22 requires a voter to be heard before deletion, a step that was skipped.
He also notes that the new appendix to Form 6 forces applicants to provide a serial number from the 2003 roll, effectively barring most 18‑year‑olds from registering, a move he says benefits the ruling party.
Singh highlights that in West Bengal, 16 lakh voters validated by EROs were not added because of unauthorised appeals, and in Goa, 97 validated voters remain excluded.
Exam Relevance
- Understanding the constitutional role and independence of the Election Commission is essential for GS2.
- Knowledge of the RP Act and its sections (21, 22) helps answer questions on electoral law.
- The case illustrates the checks and balances between the CEC, other commissioners, and the judiciary, relevant for questions on institutional accountability.
- Impact on marginalised voters ties into GS4 (Ethics) and GS1 (Socio‑economic issues) regarding inclusive democracy.
Way Forward
Singh urges opposition parties to unite and demand the resignation of the CEC and the two commissioners, and to restore the earlier selection mechanism involving the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, and a Supreme Court judge. He also calls for fresh elections in states where rolls were altered while appeals were pending, and for a return to paper‑based voting, arguing that EVMs are vulnerable to hacking.
For UPSC aspirants, the episode underscores the importance of monitoring procedural compliance in electoral reforms, the role of judicial oversight, and the political ramifications of administrative actions on democratic legitimacy.