He linked widespread allegations of vote theft, backdoor government formations, political horse-trading, and symbol hijacking directly to this lack of accountability. Senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Monday 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.
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. Because of the immunity granted by Narendra Modi to the present Chief Election Commissioner, all of this is happening. “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.
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.
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. However, granting them liberty still came with riders and accountability. accountability remained paramount While they held the constitutional right to function independently. 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. 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. 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. They continue to demand a thorough investigation into the functioning of the poll body, restoration of deleted voter names, and greater institutional accountability.
“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. 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.
