Patna, Feb 18 (IANS): After Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer, was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, attacked the Union government over his appointment.

"When two teams play a match, the umpire should be neutral. But now, the umpire (Election Commission) has become a cheerleader for the ruling party," he alleged

Tejashwi Yadav recalled the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections, alleging that the Election Commission delayed vote counting to manipulate results.

"We were winning, but the counting was stopped and delayed. The final results were announced late at night, leading to many of our candidates narrowly losing. Many candidates went to court challenging the decision but the election commission was unaffected. If we come to power at the Centre, our first action will be to remove Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the election process,” Yadav said.

Tejashwi Yadav supported Rahul Gandhi, who opposed Gyanesh Kumar’s appointment and called it an "executive overreach."

Rahul Gandhi earlier stated: "As Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, it is my duty to protect the ideals of Baba Saheb BR Ambedkar and our Constitution. The decision to appoint the CEC while the matter is in the Supreme Court is disrespectful."

LoP Rahul Gandhi claimed the Centre appointed Gyanesh Kumar just before a crucial Supreme Court hearing on electoral reforms.

Rahul Gandhi had previously rejected the Centre’s list of nominees for the CEC post, arguing that the appointment should be free from government influence.

The appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner is crucial ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.

The opposition is concerned that a biased election body could impact electoral integrity.