‘You can’t talk like this,’ observer shoots back at CEC Gyanesh Kumar, gets removed

KOLKATA: A high-level election review meeting on Wednesday turned volatile when a senior election observer openly challenged CEC Gyanesh Kumar, later leading to the observer's removal.

During the virtual meeting convened 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 told the officer to "go back home", said sources. Sources said Yadav shot back, 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 Uttar Pradesh govt.

Sources said the exchange led to a brief silence in the meeting before discussions resumed on other issues. Yadav was removed from his post as general observer by the EC immediately.

EC sources, however, said Yadav's removal was not based on his act of rebellion but for "professional incompetence."

During the meeting, 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 Kumar. "An observer is the eyes and ears of the Commission. If an officer, after spending several days on the ground, cannot verify basic details like the number of polling stations, it raises serious questions about the integrity of the process," a senior EC official said.

During Wednesday's meeting, the issue of vulnerable booths in Cooch Behar was also discussed. Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal suggested the possibility of imposing prohibitory orders in such areas.



The chief secretary has assigned a nodal officer to each district to ensure minimum assured facilities at every polling station, a senior EC official said on Wednesday.