Rahul Gandhi Slams Centre Over New CEC Appointment, Shares Dissent Note

Rahul Gandhi of the Congress on Tuesday strongly opposed the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner, criticising the Narendra Modi government for "removing" the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who is a member of the committee, stressed that an independent Election Commission, free from executive influence, is crucial to maintaining the integrity of India's electoral process.

"During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM, that stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner," Rahul Gandhi posted on X.

According to him, the decision to exclude the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel defies a Supreme Court ruling and erodes the confidence of millions of voters. He underscored his responsibility, as the Leader of the Opposition, to uphold the principles of India's founding leaders and hold the government accountable.

"By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi Government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process.

"As the LoP it is my duty to uphold the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the founding leaders of our nation and hold the government to account," the Congress MP stated.

"It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours," he added.

The Congress party also condemned the government's swift appointment of Gyanesh Kumar, calling it a "hasty midnight move" that undermines the essence of the Constitution and the integrity of free elections.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal argued that the decision should have been deferred until the Supreme Court had ruled on the matter, insisting that the electoral process must retain its sanctity and that the Chief Election Commissioner must be an impartial authority.

Despite the objections, the government finalised the appointment, securing Gyanesh Kumar's position as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner, the Congress claimed.

The move comes just before the Supreme Court is set to hear a petition challenging the selection process and the composition of the committee responsible for appointing election commissioners.

The controversy revolves around the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which established a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and a Union cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister.

Critics have challenged this structure in the Supreme Court, arguing that it grants the government excessive influence over the Election Commission.

Gyanesh Kumar, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from the Kerala cadre, previously served as India's Cooperation Secretary and has held several key government positions. His tenure as Chief Election Commissioner is set to commence on 19 February 2025, following the retirement of Rajiv Kumar.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the challenge to the appointment process on February 19, 2025.