Will Modi-Shah let Gyanesh Kumar go?
Gyanesh Kumar is no Dharmendra Pradhan; he was a small cog in the BJP’s electoral machine. The CEC is its pivot. When Pradhan left, it was business as usual. But if Gyanesh Kumar goes, Modi’s entire edifice and the Lotus bandwagon, will come crashing down. Indeed, it’s a do-or-die battle for Modi.
By NR Mohanty in Delhi
The million dollar question today is: will Modi-Shah let Gyanesh Kumar go?
That is, the manner in which they made Dharmendra Pradhan resign so quickly after the huge July protests by Gen Z in Jantar Mantar?
Well, the stakes are extremely higher now. The Modi regime initially tried to protect Pradhan not because he was central to its scheme of things; rather it was hubris: after all, a strong leader doesn’t bow to the demands of street protesters! However, when the protests spread, across the nation, the Modi-Shah establishment felt it was prudent to sacrifice Pradhan in order to douse the raging fire. And it was right; when Pradhan resigned on July 25, the nationwide stir ceased. The CJP withdrew the spontaneous movement.
The fire has been re-ignited after the Indian Express investigative report on 23 September, 2026 brought to light the deep divide within the Election Commission about the patently ‘illegal and unauthorised’ actions of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, was marked by massive non-violent protests at both Mumbai and Delhi demanding Kumar’s resignation. In Delhi, the police followed the same old pattern – relentless repression of peaceful youngsters. Clearly, the protests are gradually gaining momentum across the country.
The crucial question is: when it reaches its tipping point, will Modi end up doing a Dharmendra Pradhan to Gyanesh Kumar?
That will be a difficult decision because Pradhan was a small cog in the BJP’s gargantuan electoral machine, whereas Gyanesh Kumar is its pivot. When Pradhan went, Prahlad Joshi stepped in. One semi-literate was replaced by another to adorn the top job in the education ministry. And things were back to normal.
But if Gyanesh Kumar goes, the entire edifice of the Lotus bandwagon, which he has reinforced during his last two-and-a-half years in the Election Commission, will come crashing.
One can argue that, like in the case of Pradhan, if Kumar goes, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, the Election Commissioner, will step into his shoes. It should be business as usual. But, Sandhu’s objections —along with that of Vivek Joshi, the other Election Commissioner — has caused the current stir. It would be difficult to imagine that Sandhu would choose to be a Prahlad Joshi; it seems impossible that, under him, the Election Commission would return to the ways of Gyanesh Kumar.
It would be therefore the proverbial last nail in the coffin of Modi and Shah if Gyanesh Kumar demits office.
That is why, the entire BJP machinery is out in the open to defend Gyanesh Kumar and demonise the opposition. That’s nothing new. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been persistently highlighting the issues of electoral malpractices, and with evidence, for almost two years. The ruling BJP has been ridiculing Gandhi’s campaign as a case of sour grapes.
In the current flashpoint, the bull in the China shop is the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The Congress party, which had been in power for decades since independence, carries a baggage. That helps the Modi acolytes to indulge in whataboutery. But the CJP comes with a clean record; some of its public faces might have had past association with the Aam Aadmi Party in the initial phase, but that has not stuck with them as a stigma.
What gives the new, youthful formation the added boost is that it represents Gen Z. The CJP had expectedly succeeded in mobilising the students and youth during the NEET stir, as the issue concerned the Gen Z. But to focus on irregularities of the Election Commission is a different ball game altogether.
Apparently, there were misgivings among even the supporters of the CJP if it would attract a decent footfall during its Shivaji Park protest in Mumbai on October 2, 2026; but the fledgling outfit dispelled all that apprehension and came out with flying colours. Shivaji Park was packed.
Delhi’s Jantar Mantar is its next port of call on October 10. It’s to be seen if Jantar Mantar 2.O will be a replay of its grand show during the July protest at the same venue this year.
However, one thing is certain. Modi & Company will go all the way to create fissures within the CJP and between the CJP and the opposition parties, especially the Congress. During the Pradhan-ouster campaign, the BJP didn’t succeed in splitting the opposition. The Congress then organised its separate stir, away from that of the CJP, but there was no desperate attempt to hog the limelight.
The cause appeared to be bigger than partisan glory. The same spirit is the need of the hour today.
It’s incumbent on both the Congress (and the India Alliance), and the CJP, not to speak at cross-purposes nor to discredit or downplay the other, in spite of the differences. They owe it to themselves to defend Indian democracy.
It’s quite possible that the vicious Modi regime would re-impose Emergency-like conditions, put opposition leaders behind bars and suspend Fundamental Rights in order to cling to power. But that would be foolhardy for it to do so.
If Modi goes down quietly, it would be a saving grace.
Large-scale suppression is bound to boomerang.
The lessons of Emergency are there in the distant past; the lessons of the immediate past from the Gen Z protest in South Asia has a more ominous message for the ruling BJP in general, and Modi in particular. The strong-arm methods of the State apparatus will infuriate Gen Z even further.
If a million-strong youth descend on the national capital to register its protest, even the top security brass of the country would advise Modi to flee or else face the severe consequences, à la Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.
So it’s a turning point in India’s political history; the current protest will not end with the departure of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The fire will engulf the tyrant Modi who has systematically wrecked the Election Commission’s credibility with a carrot and stick approach to the members of the Commission: enjoy life-long immunity from criminal prosecution if you break laws and defy the Constitution to support the ruling dispensation. But be prepared to get all your perks and privileges withdrawn if you do not fall in line!
Modi will not survive in power much longer after Gyanesh Kumar is thrown in the dustbin. So many incriminating documents will emerge that the Modi establishment’s continuance in office will become untenable.
That will be a moment of victory for India’s democracy.
However, the crying call of the hour is a united opposition; the opposition forces will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory if they fail to see the writing on the wall.
The India Block March to the Election Commission office on October 6, 2026 in Delhi is a positive signal. The march with 300 MPs from the both the houses was blocked with police barricades, but the protest was big, and dominated the social media narrative all day. Indeed, inspired by the bravery and defiance of Gen Z leaders like Neha Bora, Rahul Gandhi climbed on top of a barricade waving the tricolour.
Talking to the media at the protest site, Rahul Gandhi said: "I have no interest in what the BJP says. I am standing here to save the democracy of India. A few hours ago, 300 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs came here with me. They too are trying to save democracy in the country. Amit Shah, Narendra Modi, Mohan Bhagwat, and Gyanesh Kumar... these people have destroyed the country's democratic system. The country has been hijacked through vote theft… What has been done to our country is called Treason. Nobody is going to escape."
NR Mohanty is a seasoned journalist, commentator and academic. He is former Resident Editor, Hindustan Times and The Times of India (Patna Edition) and former Director, Jagran Institute of Management and Mass Communication (JIMMC).
All images/photos courtesy of Instagram.