Former Kerala chief secretary alleges Gyanesh Kumar suggested BJP candidature
Former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson has said Gyanesh Kumar suggested that he contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket during a 2016 flight. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited the claim amid a wider dispute over Special Intensive Revision decisions, while the account itself does not establish later electoral interference.
Former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson has claimed that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar suggested he contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket during a flight to Delhi in 2016. Mr. Thomson said he declined the suggestion.
According to his account, Mr. Kumar, whom he described as a friend, asked about his plans after retirement. Mr.
Thomson said he replied that he wanted to work on a project for children, after which Mr. Kumar allegedly suggested that he contest from Pathanamthitta, become a Member of Parliament and later a Minister. Mr.
Kumar was a serving government officer at the time. He is a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer and retired from the service in January 2024. Mr.
Thomson’s account has emerged during a controversy over reported objections by two Election Commissioners to decisions connected with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited the claim to accuse Mr. Kumar of helping the BJP recruit candidates and later interfering with elections.
The Kerala Congress also questioned who had authorised a serving IAS officer to suggest a BJP candidature. The material reporting Mr. Thomson’s account said it did not establish the wider allegation that Mr.
Kumar subsequently interfered with elections. An Indian Express investigation, as cited in the report, said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections to poll-panel decisions at least 14 times between October 2025 and August 2026. The reported concerns included voter enrolment and deletion, appeals against voter-related orders, access to electoral-roll data and an SIR-related declaration in the online Form 6 application.
The Election Commission has said Form 6 remains unchanged and that the declaration is a separate requirement under its SIR orders. It has also said differences of opinion are normal within the three-member panel and that final decisions, including those on the SIR, were approved unanimously.
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