Punjab House resolution seeks probe into electoral 'irregularities' under CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Punjab Vidhan Sabha first in country to pass such a resolution, several speakers demand seeking Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday passed a resolution seeking an independent and impartial investigation into alleged irregularities in voter lists, electoral processes and functioning of the Election Commission (EC) under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. During the debate on the resolution, several speakers also demanded Kumar's resignation.

This is the first time that a legislative Assembly has passed such a resolution against CEC Kumar.

When the House passed the resolution by voice vote, the legislators of the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP were not present in the House. However, two rebel Akali MLAs, a BSP legislator and an Independent MLA were present.

Tabling the resolution on the second day of the ongoing session, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the BJP of snatching voting rights from the poor. He alleged that BJP workers had approached Booth Level Officers with forged documents and false claims to get names deleted from voter lists. He said the allegations warranted an independent probe and accountability.

"This House firmly reiterates that every eligible citizen's vote is precious in a democracy. Illegally depriving any citizen of the right to vote goes against the fundamental values of constitutional democracy," read the resolution.

It further adds that protecting voting rights of the people and ensuring the accountability of electoral institutions is imperative for safeguarding the country's democracy.

"This House demands establishment of an independent, impartial, and credible investigative mechanism to inquire into alleged irregularities concerning the electoral process and voter lists under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, so that the truth can come to light and accountability can be fixed," the resolution reads.

"If concrete evidence of criminal violations emerges against any person during the investigation, criminal proceedings should be initiated against them as per law," it adds.

Earlier, participating in the discussion on the resolution, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the BJP-led Centre was "undermining the electoral process". Mann claimed that names of 14 crore voters had been deleted from electoral rolls nationwide under the garb of Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He said such 'vote chori' was dangerous for democracy.

"Earlier, people chose the government. Now, the government is deciding who will vote and whose votes will be deleted," Mann said.

The CM alleged that voters were being shifted between states, and referred to the deletion of around 40,000 votes in the New Delhi Assembly constituency from where then chief minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal lost by a margin of about 5,000 votes in the 2025 Assembly polls.

AAP MLA Amolak Singh cited the Indian Express report on election commissioners' objecting to amendments in Form 6, which is used for the inclusion of names in electoral rolls.

Mann too questioned the Election Commission's records of meetings and the handling of corrections through Form 6, and raised doubts about the use of electronic voting machines.

He said central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI were being used against Opposition leaders ahead of elections, alleging that cases against them often disappeared after they joined the BJP.

Earlier, Cheema too referred to the Delhi Assembly elections held last year, alleging that the BJP came to power through 'vote chori'.

Another AAP MLA, Inderjit Kaur Mann, demanded that voting be held through ballot papers only.