Senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir strongly criticized the alleged bias in the Election Commission of India (ECI), warning that the immunity granted to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has endangered the foundations of Indian democracy. He linked widespread allegations of vote theft, backdoor government formations, political horse-trading, and symbol hijacking directly to this lack of accountability.
Speaking on the issue, Mir said, “If free and fair elections are to be conducted, there are certain institutions in a democracy that were established, especially in India, with liberty so that the true meaning of democracy reaches the people. However, granting them liberty still came with riders and accountability. While they held the constitutional right to function independently, accountability remained paramount.
“Recently, two or three years ago, the way the Narendra Modi government provided immunity to today’s Chief Election Commissioner, categorically declaring that no questions would be raised against the Chief Election Commissioner and that he would not be brought under any legal purview, is dangerous for the country. That is why the whole of India is raising questions today regarding allegations of vote theft, governments being dismantled through backdoor entries, MPs and MLAs being bought, political parties being split, and party symbols being hijacked. All of this is happening because of the immunity granted by Narendra Modi to the present Chief Election Commissioner.
“Because of this, lakhs and crores of young and educated people are on the streets today, and opposition parties across the country have united to conduct joint protests across 1,100 to 1,200 districts in India. Following this, rallies will be held at the state level, and ultimately, a large-scale national operation will target the Election Commissioner. The issue is not merely about the Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar; the real question is who is getting him to do this and on whose behalf, he has been acting. An investigation into this matter is essential, which remains both an ultimate demand and a question.”
Mir’s remarks come amid a broader Opposition campaign against the ECI under CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The 2023 Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office Act provides that no court shall entertain or continue civil or criminal proceedings against a serving or former CEC or Election Commissioner for acts done in the discharge of official duties. Opposition leaders have repeatedly described this as “lifelong blanket legal immunity” and linked it to alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, deletions of voter names, and changes to forms such as Form 6.
Echoing concerns over the Election Commission’s independence, National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, speaking at the ‘Halla Bol’ media conclave in Srinagar, described the failure to make the ECI fully autonomous as a historic blunder by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
“The biggest mistake the Nehru administration committed was not to make the Election Commission completely autonomous. We are suffering the consequences of that today,” Abdullah said. “If the Election Commission had been autonomous, we would not be in this situation today.”
He accused the Narendra Modi government of restructuring the appointment process to ensure partisan control. The three-member selection committee now comprises the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM, and the Leader of the Opposition giving the government a built-in majority. “Modi Sahab appointed two members from the government and one from the opposition. They will select the Election Commissioner. Tell me, when the majority is on one side, what will the opposition leader do? The decision will be of the majority,” Abdullah stated. He alleged that this mechanism enabled the elevation of “a person who was working in his office as a secretary” to the post of Chief Election Commissioner, claiming the official was “openly working for the BJP and Sangh.”
Abdullah further criticized alleged voter deletions during the SIR exercises, saying no one has the right to remove an Indian citizen from the voter list when the Constitution guarantees the right to vote. He alleged selective targeting, including of Muslims, and noted even prominent figures such as Kapil Sibal had their names removed. “Everybody knew what EC was doing… When they removed people from the vote, they said we will investigate it in the next election,” he said.
The NC chief observed that “winds of change” had begun, with people showing “courage” through protests in places like Mumbai and Delhi. “Change will come, whether I am alive or dead… India is not dead; India is alive,” he remarked.
Opposition parties have announced coordinated protests across hundreds of districts, with plans for state-level rallies and a larger national mobilization focused on the Election Commission. They continue to demand a thorough investigation into the functioning of the poll body, restoration of deleted voter names, and greater institutional accountability.
