Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that he submitted a dissent note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a meeting of the committee on the selection of the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

Taking to social media platform X, the leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha shared his dissent note criticising the Modi Government for removing the chief justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel.

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“The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission, free from executive interference, is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner. By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi Government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” he wrote.

The Congress leader said as the LoP it was his duty to uphold the values of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. “It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi’s move came hours after the selection committee appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the new CEC, prompting criticism from the Congress. The party termed it a “hasty midnight move” that undermines the constitutional values. It has come at a time when the Supreme Court is about to hear a petition challenging the new selection process, on February 19 to be precise.

Earlier, the selection committee comprised the prime minister, leader of the Opposition, and the chief justice of India. However, the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre introduced a law replacing the CJI with a Union minister, effectively giving the government an edge in the panel.

The Opposition has strongly opposed the move, arguing that it grants the ruling party disproportionate control over the appointment process, jeopardising the neutrality of the Election Commission.