The Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar is in the eye of a storm that is brewing throughout the country, following a newspaper report regarding his alleged autocratic conduct and his insistence on carrying out certain decisions which were not endorsed by his other two colleagues. Although the Election Commission has issued a statement in the wake of the raging controversy, the newspaper report has not been so far denied. Instead of Gyanesh Kumar coming out and clarifying the matter along with his other colleagues, Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, the Bharatiya Janata Party has jumped into this battle, coming in defence of the CEC and the overall functioning of the Commission. Questions are now being asked as to why would a political party be clarifying issues which should have been put to rest by those in the constitutional body. The perception that is gaining momentum is that the EC had something to conceal.
The Congress and other members of the I.N.D.I.A bloc have come out openly against Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of colluding with the BJP to win the polls. The Cockroach Janata Party has given an ultimatum that it would on October 2 launch a countrywide stir, similar to the one initiated by it asking for then HRD Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s ouster, if Gyanesh Kumar did not step down from his position. There is also a demand for the resignation of the other two Election Commissioners on the ground that they kept silent on the “illegal” doings in the body, and did not flag the issue before the President so she could have taken some remedial measures. Instead, they chose to write a letter to the Cabinet Secretary for some odd reason, knowing fully well that the EC did not come under his charge.
The ruling dispensation is watching the unfolding situation and many of its supporters believe that it is a matter of time before Gyanesh may be asked to resign and go since his continuation is going to be detrimental to the image of the government. The EC’s credibility has been impacted and it is paramount that citizens should not lose faith in the functioning of this constitutional body. Many are even objecting to a clause introduced some years ago, granting immunity to the Election Commissioners against any criminal proceedings which may be filed for their role while they held office. There is also a row over the additional requirements for voters to prove their credentials, and questions are being asked as to why certain powers got centralized instead of being where they were vested earlier, with the state officials.
Amidst all this storm which is brewing, there has also been a disclosure that the decision to undertake the Special Intensive Revision of the voters list was not taken by the Election Commission but by the government. It is therefore logical that fingers are being pointed at the Centre, and the EC is being charged with deletion of names in states where elections were held, to allegedly help the ruling party, something which needs to be inquired into and substantiated. There is also a demand for holding fresh elections in the states of Bihar, Haryana and Bengal though this is unlikely to happen.
However, opponents of the government continue to maintain that the entire purpose of the SIR was to exclude names instead of going about things in a methodical and logical manner. There are also reports that 90% of those who had been barred from participating in the Bengal elections have managed to get their names restored in the voters list after their appeals. That is why it is important that the Election Commission should come out and put to rest apprehensions regarding its impartial functioning. Unless things are explained in a satisfactory manner, the Opposition charge of the polls being rigged could result in massive protests all over. In the past also there have been differences between the Election Commissioners but things never reached a point where these have started influencing public opinion. T.N. Seshan was accused of being autocratic but with G.V.G.
Krishnamurthy, one of the finest legal brains being an Election Commissioner, he would often find himself up against legal hurdles. Gopalswamy as the CEC had his share of differences with Navin Chawla and S.Y. Qureshi but things remained contained and did not impact the credibility of the Commission. The Congress and its allies have found a plank that could embarrass the government and become the core issue around which a nation-wide protest is expected to be planned. The position of the election commissioners is under a cloud and thus the President and the Supreme Court must initiate measures to restore the confidence of the people. Between us.
