NEW DELHI: “If I were pardoned for one murder, the first person I would shoot is Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar!” former Bihar minister and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani said on Thursday amid the ongoing row over the functioning of the Election Commission.Speaking to reporters, Sahani accused the Election Commission of acting at the BJP’s behest and warned that those involved could face jail if the opposition came to power in 2029.“The Election Commission has turned into an arm of the BJP. And I want to say to Gyanesh Kumar: times do not stay the same forever. Have some shame – you are playing with the nation’s Constitution! If I were pardoned for one murder, the first person I would shoot is Gyanesh! But what can we do? We are law-abiding citizens who respect the Constitution,” Sahani said.“In the times ahead, they will not go scot-free. In 2029, a government will be formed in the country under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi ji, and Gyanesh Kumar will be the very first person sent to prison. Everyone who colluded with him will also go to jail; no one will be spared. If he passes away before that, that is another matter. But if they remain alive, they will be put behind bars – there are no ifs or buts about it. Nobody will be able to protect him, not even Modi ji. In fact, Modi ji might also end up in jail!” he claimed.Sahani’s remarks come after an Indian Express report flagged differences within the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders issued in connection with electoral-roll procedures.The Election Commission, meanwhile, said the reported queries and observations by its members were part of its normal internal functioning. The poll panel said written notes, technical suggestions and internal checks were standard practices aimed at ensuring legal compliance and safeguarding voter rights.
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The ECI also maintained that all its official decisions, including those concerning SIR, had full legal sanction and that the Commission’s final decisions were unanimous.The report triggered sharp reactions from Opposition parties, with several leaders demanding greater scrutiny of the Election Commission’s decision-making process and questioning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s functioning.The BJP, meanwhile, defended the poll panel and said internal deliberations were part of democratic functioning.