‘Commission's credibility and transparency hit by recent actions,’ Kerala Assembly passes resolution against Gyanesh Kumar 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The resolution against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been passed. The LDF MLAs passed the resolution moved by Chief Minister V D Satheesan. BJP MLAs opposed it. The resolution states that the election commission, which is a constitutional body, must function completely impartially without yielding to government influences, and that its present actions have compromised the commission's transparency and credibility. The election commission failed to operate the software used for preparing and verifying the voter list in a transparent and legal manner.

The resolution states that depriving a citizen of the right to vote, guaranteed under Article 326 of the Indian Constitution, is a violation of the Constitution. It also says that irregularities in the electoral rolls are tantamount to subverting the people’s mandate.

Only a committee comprising the Prime Minister, opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India can ensure the selection of independent election commissioners, the resolution states. It urges the union government to take steps to reconstitute the selection committee accordingly. Despite a Supreme Court ruling that the Chief Justice of India should be part of the committee responsible for selecting the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners, the Centre’s new law has undermined the institution’s impartiality, it alleges.

Amid serious doubts over the impartiality of the election commission, the resolution calls for steps to remove the chief election commissioner, who is facing allegations. The assembly also urges the union government and the election commission to immediately restore the voting rights of all eligible voters who were excluded from the electoral rolls during Special Intensive Revision (SIR).