Election Commission of India faces political scrutiny and legal challenges

Political tensions in India have escalated regarding the impartiality of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Congress MP Pawan Khera alleged that the central government has been “bullying and blackmailing” two Election Commissioners to force them into a joint press conference with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In response to alleged irregularities in the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, 11 leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Registry has since flagged 14 defects in the writ petition and requested clarification on why individual commissioners were named as respondents.

Concurrently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress party of historically undermining the ECI. Union Minister Piyush Goyal claimed that during previous UPA administrations, the Congress “politically rewarded” election officials, citing instances where officials were appointed to political positions or awarded honors like the Padma Vibhushan. Goyal asserted that the current NDA government has ensured the commission's complete autonomy.