Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday strongly opposed the Modi government’s decision to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner. Gandhi expressed his discontent with the government's move to "remove" the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection committee for appointing election commissioners.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, made it clear that an independent Election Commission, free from executive interference, is essential for maintaining the integrity of India's electoral process.

“During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM, which stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission, free from executive interference, is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner,” Gandhi wrote.

Rahul Gandhi further criticized the decision to exclude the CJI from the selection process, calling it a direct violation of a Supreme Court order and a blow to the trust of millions of voters. He emphasized that, as the Leader of Opposition, it is his responsibility to uphold the ideals of India's founding leaders and hold the government accountable for undermining democratic institutions.

“By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi Government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” Gandhi said in his post.