CEC a weapon of mass destruction for electoral rolls: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a “complete weapon of mass destruction” for electoral rolls in the country and said the opposition would push for his removal as the poll panel chief.

Opposition parties on April 24 had submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking to move a motion for the removal of Kumar.

The opposition’s fresh charges on Kumar’s “proved misbehaviour” included “continued partisan asymmetry in the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct”.

Asked whether the opposition will push for action against Kumar on the notice submitted in April, Ramesh said, “We haven’t heard anything on that. Absolutely, we have to push. I mean he’s a complete weapon of mass destruction as far as electoral rolls are concerned.” “The most devastating indictment of Mr Gyanesh Kumar has come from a very senior IAS officer, who was the first director general of the Unique Identification Authority of India, and has a culturally very important name — Ram Sevak Sharma. He’s written an article detailing how damaging and devastating the entire SIR exercise has become,” the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said.

So, this is not just what the Congress party is saying or what Trinamool Congress is stating, Ramesh said. “I mean, this is a retired civil servant who has worked in the Modi Government, he was given important positions and he’s come out and of course retired election commissioners have come out very openly (against SIR),” Ramesh said.

He pointed out that opposition parties submitted a notice on April 24 for moving a motion for the removal of the chief election commissioner.

“Mr Gyanesh Kumar is just executing what he’s told to do by the home minister (Amit Shah),” Ramesh alleged.

His remarks come days after former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi hit out at the Election Commission over the ongoing SIR exercise, saying the process is focused more on “exclusion” and has “played havoc with democracy” with free and fair elections having been “disturbed”. The Monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to start from July 20 and conclude on August 13.

Ramesh and TMC leader Sagarika Ghose submitted the notice in April to the Rajya Sabha secretary general.

“In the Rajya Sabha, 73 opposition MPs have just submitted a new notice of motion to their Secretary General to present an addressed resolution to the President of India, urging the removal from office of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar,” Ramesh had said on X.

“This demand is based on proven misconduct arising from his actions and errors committed on March 15, 2026 and thereafter, which falls under Article 324(5) of the Constitution of India when read with Article 124(4), as well as Section 11(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968,” he had said.

The Congress leader had said there are now nine specific charges against the CEC, which have been recorded in “extreme detail” and which cannot be “denied or suppressed”.

Members of opposition parties such as the Congress, TMC, SP, DMK, Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD, IUML and “like-minded” parties had signed the notice, sources said.

The move came days after similar notices submitted by opposition MPs in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were rejected by the respective presiding officers. It was the first time that a notice seeking the removal of a CEC was submitted in Parliament.