Former Chief Secretary to the Kerala government and retired IAS officer GG Thomson has made sensational allegations against the current Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Thomson alleged that in 2016, while he was in service, Gyanesh Kumar suggested that he join the BJP and contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and that if he won, he would also get a Union Minister's post.

According to Thomson's account, this conversation took place in 2016 when Gyanesh Kumar and Kumar were travelling together in the same flight to Delhi. When Kumar was asked what he wanted to do after retirement, Thomson replied that he would do things related to the future of his children. Responding to this, Kumar said that the best way was to contest as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta and that he could become a minister after winning as an MP. However, he immediately rejected the proposal, saying that he was not interested in electoral politics. At that time, Thomson was the Chief Secretary of Kerala and Gyanesh Kumar was working in the Union Home Ministry.

These allegations have created a huge political uproar. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized that Gyanesh Kumar was used as a recruiter for the BJP and has now been appointed as an umpire for "match-fixing" in the elections. The CPI and CPM parties have also demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

On the other hand, the BJP has denied these allegations. It has dismissed them as decade-old and unproven. It has questioned Thomson's credibility, recalling his role in the palm oil import case. Neither Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar nor the Election Commission have yet responded to these allegations.