YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said his party made a mistake by supporting the 2023 law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). Addressing a press conference, Jagan argued that neither the CEC nor State Election Commissioners should be appointed by the ruling party, saying the process must be handled by an independent and neutral authority to ensure public confidence in the electoral system. He compared the appointment process to an examination, stating that the examiner should never be chosen by the student, and proposed that the selection committee should include the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India, with equal voting rights for all members.
Jagan said the current law gives the ruling side an advantage because the Prime Minister and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by him hold two votes in the selection committee, while the Leader of the Opposition has only one vote and the Chief Justice of India has been excluded. Calling this a major flaw, he said the YSRCP now regrets supporting the legislation and believes the system should be reformed to make the appointment process more transparent and independent. He also suggested that a similar model should be adopted for appointing State Election Commissioners, arguing that Chief Ministers or ruling parties should not have the authority to make such appointments.
Jagan’s remarks triggered strong political reactions from both the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TDP leaders accused him of changing his stand only after losing power, claiming that his government had supported the same law while in office and had earlier faced criticism over the appointment of the State Election Commissioner during its tenure. BJP leaders also questioned why the YSRCP backed the legislation in Parliament if it believed the process was flawed, and urged Jagan to respect democratic institutions while raising concerns through constitutional and parliamentary means instead of changing his position after the elections.
