CEC Lyngdoh’s 2002 Stand Against Early Gujarat Polls
- CEC Gyanesh Kumar oversaw the deletion of nearly 13 crore names from electoral rolls.
- In 2002, JM Lyngdoh refused BJP demands for early Gujarat elections citing inaccurate rolls.
- The Election Commission found 2002 Gujarat rolls were defective due to mass voter displacement.
- Narendra Modi publicly questioned JM Lyngdoh's impartiality during the 2002 election cycle.
- Recent investigations in Azamgarh uncovered duplicate entries and negligence by election officials.
On October 25, 2026, reports indicated that the Special Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls conducted under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resulted in the deletion of nearly 13 crore names from the draft list.
The commission is addressing allegations of duplicate entries in specific constituencies following the Special Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls.
The Samajwadi Party alleged on October 15 that a person identified as Vikas Yadav was registered 10 times in the electoral roll of the 347-Azamgarh Assembly constituency.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer's office sought an investigation report from the District Election Officer, which found 13 entries bearing the name Vikas Yadav in Hindi. Two of these entries had been deleted, while another voter with the same name and father's name was identified in the Chauri-Chaura Assembly constituency.
The remaining 11 entries in Azamgarh pertained to 11 different individuals residing in separate villages. Form 8 applications were submitted for 10 of these individuals to correct their names and other details.
The CEO's office directed that notices be issued to the computer assistant, the Booth Level Officer, the then Election Registration Officer, and two Assistant EROs before initiating action under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The CEO's office also ordered charge sheets against the then ERO and two Assistant EROs for negligence and laxity in supervising the preparation of electoral rolls.
The District Election Officer of Azamgarh has been directed to conduct a detailed examination of the electoral rolls in all Assembly constituencies within the district and submit a report within a week.
BJP demands early Gujarat polls in 2002
On July 19, 2002, at 3 pm, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley met Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh to demand early Gujarat elections. He argued the situation was normal and cited precedents from Punjab and Assam.
Lyngdoh, who was the 12th Chief Election Commissioner, replied that Gujarat was different because it was a case of a discredited government. When Jaitley accused him of using political language, Lyngdoh countered that such language was not a politician’s prerogative.
The Gujarat government under Chief Minister Narendra Modi dissolved the state assembly prematurely at 5:30 pm on July 19, 2002. On July 24, 2002, BJP national president Venkaiah Naidu and Jaitley visited Lyngdoh again to urge for early polls.
Election Commission declares rolls defective
The Election Commission refused to hold elections in July 2002 because the electoral rolls were no longer valid. These rolls, revised with reference to January 1, 2002, were impacted by the displacement of a large number of voters following the 2002 riots.
CEC Lyngdoh and commissioners BB Tandon and TS Krishna Murthy conducted an independent fact-finding inquiry in Gujarat. They concluded the electoral rolls were defective and would likely deprive many voters of their franchise.
On August 16, 2002, the commission issued a press release stating that the electoral rolls were not reasonably accurate or up-to-date. The commission noted the rolls contained names of dead or displaced persons, making them unsuitable for a free and fair election.
Narendra Modi targets CEC Lyngdoh
In August 2002, at a public rally in Vadodara, Narendra Modi questioned if JM Lyngdoh was related to Sonia Gandhi or had "come from Italy," referencing his Christian faith to suggest his interests lay with minorities.
Scroll.in reported that Modi asked if Lyngdoh was related to Sonia Gandhi or had "come from Italy".
Modi referenced Lyngdoh’s Christian faith to suggest that his interests lay with minority groups.
Electoral context and final 2002 results
Prior to the 2002 election demand, the BJP lost two bye-elections in September 2001 and another three days before the February 2002 train burning.
Scroll.in reported that the party's assembly vote share fell by an average of 14 percentage points from 1998 levels.
Elections in Gujarat took place in December 2002 as originally scheduled.
The commission's revision process led to the inclusion of 1.76 lakh displaced voters in the electoral rolls.
Historical precedents of electoral manipulation
In 2002, an incident in Thakurdwara, Uttar Pradesh, involved the exclusion of 15,800 Muslim voters from the electoral rolls.
Scroll.in reported that 21,000 non-existent Hindu voters were added to the same rolls.
Authorities removed the district magistrate and electoral registration officers following the discovery of these discrepancies.
Concerns over democratic institutional independence
The Chief Election Commissioner heads the Election Commission of India, which is constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections.
The President of India appoints election commissioners based on the recommendation of a three-member committee.
This committee includes the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and a Union Cabinet minister.
The selection process of the Election Commission is dominated by the government, which has implications for its independence following an amendment in 2023.
A report by Freedom House said the misappropriation of the word "democracy" reflects its wide appeal, noting that North Korea, Russia, and China classify themselves as democracies.
Scroll.in reported that India has entered the realm of a flawed democracy where free and fair elections are suspect.
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