Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on 5 October 2026 demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in what he described as a deepening crisis of credibility at the Election Commission of India (ECI). Gehlot's remarks came as the Supreme Court's observations on petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls continued to generate political heat.

The Supreme Court's Role

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Election Commission and the Centre on petitions challenging the manner in which decisions were allegedly taken during the SIR exercise. The Court declined to pass an interim order suspending the Chief Election Commissioner but said it would examine the matter after receiving responses from the relevant authorities.

Gehlot pointed to two specific observations from the Court proceedings that he said were particularly significant: that ECI decisions must be taken unanimously or by majority, and that the Court had not approved any modified version of Form 6. He argued that these observations alone underscored why the controversy surrounding the Commission had reached a critical juncture.

Gehlot's Allegations Against the ECI

Gehlot alleged that the Commission's functioning under Gyanesh Kumar had raised serious questions about its impartiality, contrasting the current situation with the ECI's historically respected global standing. He noted that the poll body had in the past guided other countries on electoral conduct — a reputation he said was now under strain.

He also criticised what he described as the tone adopted by the Chief Election Commissioner toward opposition parties during a press conference, saying that the head of the country's electoral body was obligated to maintain respect toward all political parties. Referring to concerns raised earlier by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding alleged irregularities in the electoral process, Gehlot said those concerns had not been given adequate attention at the time.

Concerns Over Electoral Roll Deletions

Gehlot raised alarm over the SIR exercise and its implications for voter inclusion, alleging that large numbers of names had been removed from electoral rolls. He expressed particular concern over the situation in West Bengal, where, he said, the scale of deletions warranted urgent scrutiny.

He also referred to an observation made during the Supreme Court proceedings — that voters unable to vote in one election could vote in the next — and said he found the underlying message troubling, regardless of the context in which it was offered. He argued that every eligible citizen's right to participate in elections must be protected without exception.

Call for Government Intervention

Gehlot questioned why Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah had remained silent on the controversy. He said the Centre had both the responsibility and the standing to ensure Kumar's resignation so that the matter could be resolved and political energies redirected toward substantive work.

'The only thing left now is his resignation,' Gehlot said, adding that the credibility of the electoral system was too important to be left under a persistent cloud of controversy. He also questioned what signal India was sending to the international community at a time when domestic concerns about the electoral framework were multiplying.

With the Supreme Court set to examine the matter further and multiple legal challenges pending against the SIR exercise, the political pressure on the Election Commission — and the Centre — is unlikely to ease in the near term.