No elections should be held under CEC Gyanesh Kumar, says Akhilesh Yadav

He also alleged that the Commission failed to act on numerous complaints filed by his party, including during the Special Intensive Revision

The Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission, claiming that recent internal differences within the constitutional body exposed a deeper threat to India’s democratic process. Akhilesh also demanded that no future elections should be held under the current chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The SP national president described the developments as “nothing less than a conspiracy to destroy democracy.” (HT Photo)

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he referred to reports that two election commissioners had formally objected 14 times in the last 10 months to decisions made by the Commission.

“No future elections should be held under him (the CEC). It is a very serious development. What could be more serious than objections being raised against almost every decision?” he said. “This simply means that members of an independent body no longer have the freedom to act justly or be heard. Such a situation is fatal and dangerous for democracy. It is a grave constitutional crime when people become puppets of power and betray democratic institutions.”

Deep Dive

What are the main allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made by Akhilesh Yadav?

Why do opposition leaders want future elections canceled under Gyanesh Kumar's leadership?

How did the Election Commission respond to the allegations of dissent within its ranks?

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The SP national president described the developments as “nothing less than a conspiracy to destroy democracy.”

He also alleged that the Commission failed to act on numerous complaints filed by his party, including during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

He said that in several instances, more than 100 votes were cancelled based on a single person’s signature - far beyond the permitted limit - and that signatures of individuals who could not even write their names were allegedly forged to delete names of Muslim and Samajwadi Party voters.

“No action was taken against any official. This shows the Commission is not impartial,” Yadav said.

He also raised the issue of administrative preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, alleging that not a single officer from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) communities had been assigned key election-related responsibilities. “What bigger conspiracy can there be?” he asked.

“Democracy is under severe strain. This is going to be the last election in Uttar Pradesh. After this, your voting rights will be taken away,” he said.

On the question of whether opposition parties would plan a protest if no action is taken against the CEC, he said, “The people of the country will give a befitting reply to the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] in the upcoming elections and their reverse countdown will start.”

The SP chief also spoke about the alleged high-handedness in demolition drives in Ayodhya and the state’s law-and-order situation. Yadav promised that a future SP government will fully compensate families who lost homes and shops in recent demolition actions.