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Omar Abdullah took a jibe at CEC Gyanesh Kumar amid SIR criticism, suggesting he deserves Bharat Ratna or the President post
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah (Photo: PTI)
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday took a cheeky jibe at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar amid mounting criticism over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
He stated that Kumar should either be conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, or be elected as the President of the country.
His remarks came days after a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR exercise.
“Why stop at Padma Bhushan. Gyanesh Kumar should be awarded Bharat Ratna or made country’s President… just two years left for presidential election… he has done so much for the BJP… entire West Bengal was gifted to BJP”, Abdullah told reporters.
VIDEO | Srinagar: “Gyanesh Kumar should be awarded Bharat Ratna or made country’s President as he gifted Bengal to BJP”, J&K CM Omar Abdullah takes jibe at CEC over SIR row. pic.twitter.com/HkRATsv7zX— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 29, 2026
He argued that the opposition parties’ criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI) was not unreasonable.
“Opposition parties are against the Election Commission (ECI), it is not happening without any reason… the proofs were not presented by any political party but a newspaper,” Abdullah said.
His comments were in response to West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya’s call for a Padma Bhushan to Gyanesh Kumar. The BJP leader recently credited the CEC with ensuring a violence-free assembly election in the state and “cleansing” the electoral rolls by removing illegal Bangladeshis.
What Is The Controversy About?
The controversy stems from an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR exercise, which they said were issued without their knowledge.
For the unversed, the SIR is a nationwide, large-scale electoral roll verification exercise launched to clean up India’s voter lists by removing duplicate, deceased, fake, or permanently shifted entries while also registering new eligible citizens.
According to the Express report, Joshi and Sandhu had objected to decisions regarding the enrolment of new voters, deletion of names, centralised access to the electoral database and changes to electoral procedures.
A massive controversy followed the report, with the opposition parties questioning the SIR process and expressing concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made the sarcastic remark following a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record 14 times over 10 months to decisions regarding the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Responding to the West Bengal BJP chief’s call for a Padma Bhushan for the CEC, Abdullah sarcastically stated he should instead receive the Bharat Ratna or become president.
Ask News18About the Author
A Journalism graduate, Meemansa Shekhawat is a sub-editor at News18. Driven by a keen interest in news, she is a passionate writer with specialisation in national and international affairs. You can re…Read More
September 30, 2026, 11:56 IST
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