Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai has made sensational demands. He demanded the immediate arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, cancellation of the election to the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat won by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fresh polling. He made these comments while talking to reporters in Agra.

Describing Gyanesh Kumar as a 'corrupt and dishonest person', Ajay Rai made strong allegations that he provided a fraudulent victory in favor of the BJP. "He rigged the elections across the state and finalized the victory of Prime Minister Modi. He is still helping the BJP and Prime Minister Modi," Rai criticized. 

He demanded that not only in Varanasi but also the elections held in various states during Gyanesh Kumar's tenure be cancelled and re-held. It is known that Ajay Rai, who contested against Modi from Varanasi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, was defeated by a margin of 1.52 lakh votes.

Ajay Rai has raised these demands in the wake of recent reports regarding the Special Revision (SIR) process of the Electoral Roll. It has been reported that other Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have objected to the decisions taken as part of this revision process at least 14 times in the last ten months. 

They are reported to have expressed concerns over issues such as addition and deletion of names in the voter list, changes in Form 6, and centralization of voter data. However, the Election Commission, responding to these allegations, has clarified that it is normal for differences of opinion to be expressed in institutional discussions, that the orders it issues are completely legal, and that it will act according to the rules. 

On the other hand, several opposition parties, including the Congress, have been criticizing the 2023 Act, which removed the Chief Justice of India from the Election Commissioners' Appointment Committee and included a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister, from the beginning. With Ajay Rai's latest demands, the political controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission seems to have intensified.