Prashant Kishor Demands Election Commission Overhaul

Claiming the Election Commission of India has systematically favored the ruling party for nearly a decade, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He argued that institutional credibility has collapsed, requiring fundamental changes to appointment processes and transparency protocols to restore public trust.

Editorial·October 8, 2026·reads: 136

Prashant Kishor Demands Election Commission Overhaul

Kishor highlighted a pattern of institutional bias spanning from electoral roll management to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct. He explicitly cited the career trajectory of former CEC Rajiv Kumar, who secured a chairmanship at HDFC Bank following his tenure, as evidence of a compromised system. Beyond personnel changes, he proposed mandatory transparency measures, including the public release of Form 17 before vote counting begins to prevent irregularities.

These criticisms coincide with escalating tensions between the INDIA bloc and the government. Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have organized consecutive days of protests in the capital, alleging a criminal conspiracy involving the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the RSS leadership. As opposition MPs gather at the Gandhi Smarak for peaceful sit-ins, the call for a structural reset of the Election Commission has moved to the center of the national political discourse.