Questions were being raised within EC, BJP kept defending CEC: Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday stepped up his criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying reports of objections raised by two Election Commissioners had reinforced concerns raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the functioning of the poll panel.

Gehlot alleged that questions were being raised within the Election Commission and that some NDA allies had also sought clarifications, while BJP leaders were defending the CEC.

"Earlier, whenever problems arose in a constitutional institution, all political parties spoke in one voice about resolving them. For the first time, two election commissioners working in an institution like the Election Commission are themselves raising questions," Gehlot said.

His remarks came amid a controversy over reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several issues over a 10-month period. The reported concerns included matters relating to voter registration, deletion of names from electoral rolls and access to voter databases.

The Election Commission, however, said on Saturday that all decisions relating to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls had been approved unanimously by all three commissioners. It also clarified that a letter sent by the two commissioners to the Cabinet Secretary related to the functioning of an officer on deputation and was not a policy matter concerning the Commission or its IT division.

Gehlot claimed Gandhi had been raising questions over alleged "vote theft", SIR and the functioning of the Election Commission for the past two years.

"His statements have proved true and the Chief Election Commissioner stands completely exposed," Gehlot said.

Alleging that the BJP and the CEC were working in collusion, Gehlot demanded the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar from the constitutional post.