Slamming the Centre over the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday accused Home Minister Amit Shah of effectively taking over the role. He claimed that the ruling party’s long-term goal of turning the Election Commission of India (ECI) into a BJP-controlled institution was being realized.
The Union government announced Kumar’s appointment late on Monday night, just hours after a meeting of the prime minister-led selection committee. During the meeting, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had urged the government to postpone the decision, citing an ongoing Supreme Court case on the matter.
The timing of the appointment is significant, as the Supreme Court is set to hear pleas challenging the 2023 law governing the appointment of the CEC and election commissioners (ECs) on February 19. Gandhi also submitted a dissent note to the panel, which included Shah as a member.
Opposition parties have consistently criticized the 2023 law, raising concerns over the neutrality of the poll panel. In a post on X, Gokhale mocked the government, sarcastically congratulating Shah on his “appointment” as CEC. He asserted that while the BJP might manipulate institutions, it would fail to make inroads in West Bengal.
“Friendly warning: be careful of Bengal 2026. You won’t succeed,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev criticized outgoing CEC Rajiv Kumar over the delimitation process in Assam. She accused him of overseeing a politically motivated and communal exercise that lacked adherence to legal principles.
“As Rajiv Kumar steps down, I must say that Assam’s delimitation process under his watch was driven more by political bias than the rule of law,” Dev stated.
She further alleged that constituencies were redrawn based on outdated census data, with Barak Valley suffering a disproportionate loss of two MLA seats. Calling it a “historical injustice,” she vowed never to forgive or forget the decision.
With inputs from PTI