‘Match-fixing India's elections’: Rahul Gandhi accuses CEC Gyanesh Kumar over BJP pitch allegations

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Congress MP, on Saturday accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of "match-fixing elections".

Gandhi's accusation follows a report from a Malayalam news channel claiming that Kumar had approached Jiji Thomson, the former Chief Secretary of Kerala, to contest elections as a BJP candidate.

"First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India's elections," Gandhi said in a post on X.

The Congress party's Kerala unit had previously shared the Asianet News report on X, questioning, "Big revelation on Gyanesh Kumar. Former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson says Gyanesh Kumar approached him and asked him to contest on a BJP ticket, even offering a ministerial position. Who was Gyanesh Kumar to make such an offer? On whose authority was he speaking? And why was the Election Commissioner allegedly involved in political recruitment for BJP back in 2016?"

The Asianet News report states that Thomson claimed Kumar, in 2016, suggested he run as a BJP candidate. Thomson told the channel that this supposed conversation occurred on a flight to Delhi around the time of his retirement.

"He (Kumar) asked me what my plans were after retirement. So, I said, no, I don't have any particular plans. I am thinking of introducing a program to improve the children's future, and so on. That is what I said. So, he said, the best thing is for you to contest the election in 2019, contest as a BJP candidate. Then become an MP, then become a Minister," Thomson is quoted as telling the news channel.

Thomson said he declined the offer, stating, "I said no, I don't have any interest in the election." He noted that Kumar was still in government service at the time, adding, "There is a limit to political interference in the service," according to the report.

Gandhi's fresh attack on the CEC comes as the Election Commission faces increasing scrutiny from the opposition following a report in The Indian Express. The report suggested that two of the three Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had raised objections over certain decisions and orders issued regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which were seemingly made without their full knowledge.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) addressed these claims on Saturday, asserting that all decisions related to the SIR schedule for electoral rolls were made with the "unanimous approval of the Commission". The EC also clarified that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary pertained to the performance of an officer on deputation, not any policy matter of the poll body.

In a press note issued after their meeting, the ECI stated that the SIR schedule for 12 states and Union Territories was issued on October 27, 2025, and for 19 states and UTs on May 14, 2026, both with unanimous approval. The poll body further stated that the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, covering all States and UTs, starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 others, was also unanimously approved.

"In the recent months, the Commission has taken numerous decisions, including SIR across the country. The order for the SIR issued on 24.6.2025 for all the States/UTs, starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 other States/UTs, was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The same has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India vide its order dated 27.5.2026. The schedule for SIR for 12 States and UTs was issued on 27.10.2025, and those for 19 States/ UTs was issued on 14.05.2026 with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The final figure of the number of electors will be known only after final publication in the remaining 12 states of Phase-III," the ECI press note detailed.

The Commission also addressed the letter to the Cabinet Secretary, clarifying it did not involve ECI or IT division policy matters. "The letter to the Cabinet Secretary was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or IT division but related to working of an officer on deputation to the ECI. The work redistribution orders issued by the concerned officer were not actually implemented after the orders of the two Commissioners, and the oversight over the IT division by the DEC was never actually withdrawn," the ECI stated.

ANI