27 September,2026 05:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the Election Commission`s explanation that decisions were taken collectively should be examined. File Pic
Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has called for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, citing a news report on the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a post on X, Chavan described the allegations in the report as serious and questioned the manner in which decisions were allegedly taken within the poll panel.
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister claimed that the Election Commission had functioned in a manner that was contrary to the law and alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had taken decisions on behalf of the commission without consulting the other two Election Commissioners.
He referred to Article 324 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court's 1995 judgment in the T N Seshan vs Union of India case while discussing the powers and functioning of election commissioners.
Chavan also alleged that the reported developments amounted to an abuse of power and questioned whether any political party had benefited from the alleged decisions.
Chavan said the Election Commission's explanation that decisions were taken collectively should be examined. He argued that decisions of the commission are required to be taken collectively, either unanimously or by majority.
He called on the Congress to convene an urgent meeting of INDIA bloc leaders and said a delegation of Opposition leaders, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, should meet the President and seek action against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Chavan further suggested that the Supreme Court could examine the matter and seek relevant documents from the Election Commission and its senior officials.
Chavan also called for the Opposition to initiate the constitutional process for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
He said that if other avenues failed, nationwide protests should be considered.
Chavan concluded by saying that the issue was serious and argued that democracy would lose its meaning if elections were "managed". He called for Gyanesh Kumar to be removed from office.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray respectively, will hold a mass protest march in Mumbai on October 4 against the Election Commission, according to MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
Thackeray criticised the functioning of the poll panel under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged that it was acting like a "branch of the ruling party".
Thackeray alleged that voters were being subjected to "gross deception" under the guise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
In a post, he appealed to political parties to join the October 4 protest, saying the demonstration should become a collective voice of the political system and the public.
The march has been organised jointly by the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT), with both parties expected to mobilise their supporters for the protest.
The announcement comes amid criticism from Opposition parties over the Election Commission's functioning and its handling of electoral roll-related issues.
Thackeray said the October 4 demonstration would seek to highlight these concerns and bring political parties and citizens together on the issue.
