Akhilesh Yadav Accuses ECI of Not Functioning Impartially, Questions Poll Body's Conduct

Yadav made the remarks while speaking to reporters ahead of the INDIA bloc's planned protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He said concerns over the functioning of the poll panel were not new and had been raised repeatedly.

“This is not a new issue when it comes to the Election Commission,” Yadav said, referring to complaints and objections raised over the poll body's functioning. He alleged that the ECI was acting in a manner that suggested only BJP members were being treated as legitimate citizens and voters.

Yadav also alleged that the BJP had benefited from the use of money and security forces during elections, while accusing the Election Commission of failing to maintain neutrality.

He cited alleged incidents in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, including in Kundarki, Ambedkar Nagar and Ayodhya, and claimed that polling had been affected at various places. “The ECI is not unbiased. The ECI is not working under the Constitution,” he said.

The Samajwadi Party leader also questioned what he described as the perceived proximity between the BJP and the Election Commission. Referring to the BJP's office in the national capital, he questioned whether the poll body had taken action on issues raised by the Opposition.

Yadav also criticised the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’, alleging that the BJP's objective was to conduct electoral processes simultaneously so that questions over the conduct of elections would receive less scrutiny.

He claimed that the proposal was aimed at allowing the government to remain in power for five years without facing repeated electoral scrutiny or investigations.

Meanwhile, Opposition INDIA bloc MPs are scheduled to stage a protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The protest is centred on Opposition allegations of “vote theft” linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and comes amid an escalating political dispute over the functioning of the Election Commission under CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The call for the protest followed a meeting of 19 Opposition parties held on September 30, with the INDIA bloc subsequently stepping up its campaign over electoral roll revision and other concerns relating to the poll process.