Who is Seema Khanna? What is her reference to CJP vs Gyanesh Kumar row and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘lady is hiding’ remark | Today’s news

Rahul Gandhi’s “lady hiding in Dehradun” remark during a press conference on Tuesday sparked speculation on social media about who the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was referring to.

Gandhi’s message came with his promise that those behind the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Exercise (SIR) and responsible for undermining the democratic process would be “brought to justice”.

“…It is our commitment to you that the people who did this Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, Mr. Gyanesh Kumar, the lady who is currently hiding in Dehradun and others will be brought to justice…” Gandhi said a day after the Congress held a mega rally to protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Since Rahul Gandhi did not specifically name the ‘lady’, many on social media wondered who the woman was. “Who is the lady Rahul Gandhi is talking about hiding in Dehradun? (sic),” asked one social media user.

Several netizens named Election Commission official Seema Khanna. However, there is no confirmation that he is the person mentioned in Gandhi’s address.

Who is Seema Khanna and why is she being discussed on social media?

Seema Khanna is the Director General of the IT Department at the Election Commission of India. According to reports, Khanna oversees the election commission’s digital and technology systems. In 2025, she joined the panel as a representative from the National Information Center (NIC).

Her role has come under scrutiny amid controversy over the functioning of electoral roll software and the powers of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).

Seema Khanna was a recurring name in the Indian Express investigative report on the ECI and voter erasure, which sparked massive protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Seema Khanna’s IT division and her work were among the issues that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi disagreed with, an Indian Express investigation revealed.

The report claimed that the two commissioners were concerned that officers on the ground, who are legally authorized to prepare the voter list, now say they are unable to do their jobs because the software does not allow them to perform the functions. It was claimed that these permissions are set by the IT department headed by Seema Khanna.

The investigation revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised concerns about the centralized control of technology systems used to manage electoral rolls.

According to IE, electoral commissioners have repeatedly expressed concern that the powers legally assigned to electoral registration officers, or EROs, are being increasingly centralized through the EC’s IT system.

Sandhu reportedly noted that state-level election officials reported that they “do not have proper and complete access” to the ERONet portal, the digital system through which they maintain the voter list.

He indicated that Election Commission IT Director General Seema Khanna “has no legal authority to curtail the proper and complete access and freedom of operation as provided by law to statutory bodies,” the Indian Express report claimed.

The objection focused on ECINet and ERONet, the software systems used by the Electoral Commission for voter roll-related work. The Election Commission launched ECINet in January 2026, unifying more than 40 applications and portals under a single digital platform.

Concerns were not limited to ECINet. Records cited in the report show that questions about the IT system’s control over ERO functions arose when ERONet was still the main platform.

In addition, IT was also held responsible for changing Form 6 (add new electors). According to The Hindu, EC officials said that Form 6 as such was never amended and that the declaration was merely added along with it. The official reportedly claimed that the problem with online submission of the form was due to changes made by the IT department.

EC officials also said that the power to add the declaration form was upheld by the Supreme Court on 27 May 2026.

Allegations against Seema Khanna

Congress leader Pawan Khera, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut and Trinamool’s Mahua Moitra mentioned Seema Khanna and linked her to the ‘vote chori’ charge in their posts on X.

Raut, in an X post on September 25, said: “Dr. Seema Khanna, PhD. Key figure in vote-stealing conspiracy…She is the ‘digital mastermind’ of vote-stealing. The entire voter list is under her control. All IT related work is her responsibility.”

Meanwhile, Moitra wrote on X on October 1: “Criminal. Traitor. Cyber ​​terrorist. Illegal use of software to damage India’s democratic fabric. You know the name. Seema Khanna DG IT, ECI. Know the face. No hole will be deep enough to hide in ma’am.”