Thomas Isaac targets Gyanesh Kumar, alleges CEC post is ‘reward’ from Modi govt

Former Kerala finance minister and CPM leader Thomas Isaac has launched a fresh attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, questioning his record as a bureaucrat and alleging that his elevation to the country’s top poll post was the culmination of a career marked by close association with the Narendra Modi government.

In a Facebook post written in Malayalam, titled (translated) “Who is Gyanesh Kumar? What is the CEC’s past?” Isaac traced Kumar’s career from his tenure in Kerala to his subsequent assignments in the Union government, calling for Kumar’s removal as CEC.

A suicide, an inquiry, and a transfer

Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer, served as secretary of the Kerala Public Works Department during the VS Achuthanandan government. He was shifted from the department in 2006 after Malaysian contractor Lee Been Seen, associated with PATI-Bel, died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur. Contemporary reports said Lee’s suicide notes accused Kerala government officials of harassment and delays in payments to his firm. Kumar was among the officials named, and the state government ordered a vigilance inquiry while shifting him from the PWD.

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Isaac’s post gave a detailed account of the dispute involving the Kerala State Transport Project, a World Bank-aided road project. He alleged that delays in land acquisition, payments and administrative decisions led to the project being substantially delayed and eventually imposed a heavy financial burden on the state.

He claimed that the government eventually had to pay Rs 35 crore as compensation and approve a revised estimate of Rs 215 crore for completing the remaining work. Isaac linked these developments to Lee’s suicide and asked why Kumar was able to move on to senior positions in the Union government.

Kumar’s role in J-K’s reorganisation, Ayodhya Trust

The Election Commission’s official profile confirms that Kumar subsequently served as Joint Secretary in the Defence Ministry, Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation. It also records his earlier senior assignments in the Kerala government, including PWD secretary and Resident Commissioner of Kerala House.)

Isaac’s strongest criticism, however, concerned Kumar’s subsequent role in the Union Home Ministry.

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Kumar was posted in the Home Ministry during the period when the Modi government implemented the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. According to the former finance minister of Keralam, multiple reports have identified him as having played a role in the preparation of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill. He was also associated with the setting up of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust following the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict.

Isaac described these assignments as evidence of Kumar’s proximity to the BJP-led government and particularly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He alleged that Kumar’s appointment as CEC in 2025 was a “reward” for these roles.

First CEC under a questionable law

There is, however, a documented institutional change behind Kumar’s appointment that goes beyond the individual.

The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 replaced the earlier Supreme Court-directed selection arrangement. Under the new law, the selection committee consists of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister. The Chief Justice of India is no longer a member of the committee.

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Kumar became the first CEC appointed under this new framework. The selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi selected him in February 2025. The President formally appointed him with effect from February 19, 2025.

The validity of the 2023 law has been challenged before the Supreme Court. The challenge centres, among other issues, on the replacement of the Chief Justice of India with a Union minister on the selection panel.

A political assignment?

Isaac also attacked Kumar’s functioning as CEC and said he had been carrying out a political assignment entrusted to him by the BJP-led government. He did not cite specific evidence in the Facebook post for this assertion.

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His post came amid renewed scrutiny of Kumar’s tenure as CEC. Recent reports have focused on disagreements within the Election Commission over decisions connected with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that differences among commissioners are normal and that its final decisions have been unanimous.

Isaac concluded by demanding Kumar’s resignation and calling for an impeachment motion in Parliament. He said the Left parties will launch a joint campaign from September 28, Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary, to October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, seeking Kumar’s removal.