Gyanesh Kumar acted as ‘BJP agent’, does not deserve to continue as CEC: Keralam CM

Kerala CM V D Satheesan accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of acting in BJP’s interests and called for his removal, citing allegations by former Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson. Satheesan said Kumar’s continuation undermined the Election Commission’s independence and credibility

Thiruvananthapuram: Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Sunday said CEC Gyanesh Kumar should not continue in office, alleging that he acted as a BJP agent and “sentenced Indian democracy to death”.

In similar social media posts on Facebook and X, the CM said the claims made by former Keralam Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson about the CEC were extremely serious.

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Thomson has reportedly claimed that Kumar, in 2016, had urged him to join the BJP while he was still serving as an IAS officer.

“No further evidence is required to prove that Gyanesh Kumar acted as an agent of the BJP. It is now evident that he served as an operative who subverted democracy on behalf of the BJP.

“History will record Kumar, who traded away the Election Commission’s credibility to the BJP, as the person who pronounced a death sentence on Indian democracy,” Satheesan said on X.

Accusing Kumar of “undermining democracy” while holding one of the country’s highest constitutional offices, the CM said the chief election commissioner should no longer continue in the post.

He further said the Constitution underscored the purity and sanctity of the electoral process.

Satheesan accused Kumar of having a “criminal mindset” and “tethering” the EC, which is meant to function with complete independence, to the “stables of the Sangh Parivar”.

“His continuation in this post poses an extreme danger to Indian democracy. Kumar has dismantled the transparency, integrity, impartiality and high democratic spirit of the Election Commission,” he claimed.

“Everything stated earlier by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has now been proven true. Kumar has degraded the EC into a body operating in mutual collusion with the BJP, and his continued presence in office will only further tarnish Indian democracy,” the CM added.