Chidambaram demands CEC resignation amid electoral roll controversy

The Congress leader asserted that external protection is shielding Kumar from accountability, though he noted that no evidence currently implicates the other two commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. Chidambaram urged state-level Chief Electoral Officers to disclose the specific instructions they received regarding the revision process before judicial bodies intervene. He characterized the ongoing SIR exercise as inherently flawed and suggested that officials should clarify whether their concerns were overruled by the commission.

This demand follows a report indicating that commissioners Sandhu and Joshi raised internal objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period concerning voter deletions and database access. While the Election Commission dismissed these claims as standard administrative discourse, the opposition remains unconvinced. Demonstrations have already gripped Delhi and Mumbai, leading to hundreds of detentions. With the INDIA bloc scheduling further rallies for October and November, the standoff over the commission's integrity shows no signs of abating.