Rahul Gandhi, speaking in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on electoral reforms, sharply criticised the Centre for altering the system used to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. He questioned why the Chief Justice of India was removed from the three-member selection committee and argued that the change weakened institutional neutrality.
Gandhi said that although he is a member of the selection panel in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition, he effectively has “no voice” since he is outnumbered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He reiterated that the panel earlier consisted of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India, and asked what the motive was behind replacing the CJI with a Union Cabinet Minister.
He then raised concerns about another provision in the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 — Clause 16 — which grants protection to Election Commissioners from legal action for decisions made in their official capacity. Gandhi questioned why the government deemed it necessary to provide such immunity.
He argued that the net effect of controlling the poll body was reflected in election schedules that he claimed were set to suit the Prime Minister’s campaigning plans. Continuing his criticism, he said the Election Commission had failed to respond to his repeated questions after he raised issues regarding alleged voter fraud across states. He cited discrepancies in voter lists, claiming that 1.2 lakh duplicate photos were found in Bihar alone during voter roll verification.
Gandhi proposed three recommendations to the Election Commission: machine-readable voter lists must be shared with all political parties one month before polling; the provision permitting the destruction of CCTV footage should be repealed; and parties should be given clarity on the technical architecture of Electronic Voting Machines.
He closed his remarks by accusing the government of weakening democratic safeguards and called for restoring transparency and independence in the electoral system.
