'You Can't Treat Us Like This': Senior Election Observer Hits Back At CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Gets Removed

Kolkata: A high-level election review meeting on Wednesday turned intense when a senior election observer openly challenged Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, later leading to the observer being removed, according to a Times of India report.

Reportedly, during the online meeting chaired by the full bench of the EC, Cooch Behar South general observer Anurag Yadav objected to remarks made by the CEC. The situation escalated when CEC Kumar asked the officer to "go back home." Reportedly, Yadav responded by saying, "You can't treat us like this. We have given 25 years to the service. You can't speak like this."

Yadav is a principal secretary-ranked officer with the Uttar Pradesh government. Reportedly, Yadav was not removed because of his act of rebellion but for "professional incompetence."

What happened during the meeting?

The altercation started during the meeting when Yadav had been asked basic questions regarding the number of polling booths in his constituency and he had failed to provide accurate details, drawing criticism from the CEC.

The news comes just a day after a meeting between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Election Commission sparked a political row in the state.

Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien claimed that the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asked their delegation to "get lost" within seven minutes of the meeting. "The meeting started at 10:02am and ended at 10:07am," he said. The party had raised concerns over official transfers and free and fair elections during this brief interaction.

Notably, the Election Commission (EC) has reportedly claimed that Derek O’Brien “shouted at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and asked him not to speak” during the meeting. However, this is according to sources. The EC has not issued an official statement regarding the allegations.