Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday accused the Congress of bribing Election Commissioners with Padma Awards and political posts. He claimed the party misused the poll body for years. "They rewarded them for the services rendered to the Congress party," Goyal said, while questioning the impartiality of past election officials.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and accused it of misusing the Election Commission’s office by allegedly rewarding election officials for favouring the party with political appointments, ministerial positions and civilian honours like the Padma Awards.
Targeting Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Goyal challenged him to answer certain questions, alleging that the Congress had undermined the poll body’s impartiality during its time in power.
He alleged that the party had compromised the independence of the Election Commission and questioned its criticism of the poll body’s functioning.
"Look at how low the Congress dragged the office of the Election Commissioner and how they misused Election Commissioners. They rewarded them for the services rendered to the Congress party," Goyal said.
THE APPOINTMENTS GOYAL RECALLED
Citing former Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill, Goyal questioned his movement between the Election Commission, Parliament and the Union Cabinet, describing the sequence as a possible instance of "quid pro quo". Gill later served as Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs.
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He also referred to TN Seshan, whose tenure as Chief Election Commissioner ended on December 31, 1985, and who was appointed Governor of Gujarat on February 26, 1986, by the Rajiv Gandhi government.
Goyal questioned the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Naveen Chawla as Election Commissioner in 2005.
He argued that Sonia Gandhi, who did not hold a government position at the time, could not formally make the appointment, asking who was actually running the government. He pointed out that appointments were then made by the Prime Minister and the government.
The Union minister also revisited the 2009 controversy involving then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, who had recommended Chawla’s removal, alleging that his conduct was partisan and favoured the Congress.
Goyal criticised the Manmohan Singh-led government for not acting on the recommendation.
Instead, Goyal alleged, Chawla was subsequently appointed Chief Election Commissioner as a reward for his loyalty to Sonia Gandhi and the Congress.
He further claimed that Sonia Gandhi exercised significant influence over the government and accused Rahul Gandhi of showing little respect for Manmohan Singh.
OTHER APPOINTMENTS UNDER QUESTION
Goyal extended his allegations beyond the Election Commission, citing former Kerala Chief Electoral Officers Tikaram Meena and Ratan U Kelkar.
He claimed Meena joined the Congress party’s manifesto team in Rajasthan after serving as Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer. In Kelkar’s case, Goyal questioned his appointment as secretary to Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan in May 2026, shortly after the Assembly elections.
"Was the deal: 'You help us in the election, and we will immediately appoint you to a post'?" Goyal asked, alleging that election officials had been rewarded through governorships, ministerial appointments, party positions and electoral tickets.
He accused the Congress of damaging the Election Commission’s ability to function impartially.
Goyal also questioned the earlier system of appointing Election Commissioners, arguing that the government could select officials without consultation with other stakeholders.
He maintained that the Congress’s past record weakened its criticism of the Election Commission today. His allegations, however, were political claims and were not independently established by the statements cited at the press conference.
TARGETS RAHUL GANDHI OVER PROTESTS
The Union minister’s attack on the Congress came amid escalating opposition protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Taking aim at Rahul Gandhi’s conduct over the past few days, Goyal accused him of displaying double standards and undermining constitutional institutions.
He also criticised the LoP and other opposition leaders over their interaction with a woman journalist who was covering their protest, alleging that she had been mistreated despite being three months pregnant.
Goyal called Gandhi a "blot on Indian democracy" in a separate criticism of his remarks following a meeting between INDIA bloc leaders and President Droupadi Murmu.
Rahul Gandhi had said he was surprised that the President did not deny the opposition's allegations of "vote chori". Goyal demanded an apology from him, the Congress and other opposition leaders, accusing them of showing disrespect to the country’s highest constitutional authority.
OPPOSITION CAMPAIGN AGAINST CEC
The INDIA bloc has intensified its campaign against the Election Commission, demanding accountability over alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the SIR exercise.
On Monday, opposition leaders, including Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, participated in a "March for Democracy" in Delhi.
The protesters were stopped by barricades on Bhagwan Dass Road before senior opposition leaders moved to the Supreme Court to file a joint petition challenging aspects of the SIR and raising concerns over electoral-roll revisions.
As the political confrontation intensifies, Goyal has sought to shift the focus to the Congress’s record in dealing with election officials, while the opposition continues to demand scrutiny of the poll body’s present functioning.