Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 25: Not only the opposition, questions are also being raised by some of the allies of the BJP and NDA partners about the functioning of the Election Commission of India pointing out that trust of the people was at the heart of the matter and the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar need to lay to rest the reports of internal disquiet in the poll panel.
The BJP’s allies on Friday said the CEC must “dispel misgivings in the minds of the people” and issue a clarification on the differences in the poll panel over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The statements from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and other BJP allies came as the Opposition sought answers on the rift in the Election Commission (EC) as reported in media that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times in 10 months to SIR-related decisions taken without their knowledge and glaring gaps in processes.
“If such questions are being raised about the Election Commission, which is an independent constitutional body, responsibility lies with the CEC to present his stance clearly. It is problematic if people begin to doubt the electoral process itself. The EC needs to present its stance, not to Rahul Gandhi, but to the public. But it must dispel misgivings in the minds of people,” Union Minister and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan said.
The visible disquiet in the public during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls apparently also found its way into the poll body’s working as the media report suggested.
TDP’s Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu said the SIR was “conducted in a transparent manner” in Andhra Pradesh, but added, “At the same time, the Election Commission of India is a constitutional institution entrusted with a crucial responsibility in our democracy. Therefore, whenever questions are raised by anyone, providing appropriate clarification and maintaining transparency will only help strengthen public confidence in the institution.”
The RLM chief and Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha said, “What has transpired so far is that there is surely an issue with the EC’s functioning. Whatever may be the case, the EC must clarify its position … it must clarify the questions being raised and concerns being flagged.”
JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan asked why the Opposition had not filed any official complaint “if the allegations are true.” “The RJD was aware that it was going to be defeated. They kept trying to blame the Election Commission repeatedly. But the Election Commission of India sought a clarification when allegations of irregularities in the SIR were raised, and submitted that if there are so many accusations, why is there no official complaint,” he told reporters.
The key issues flagged in the media report include rapid centralisation of the ERONet electoral roll database platform, unilateral changes made to new voter registration forms in Form 6 and decisions regarding voter list deletions during the SIR exercise.
The poll body clarified internal technical notes and queries were part of standard procedure in a multi-member body and claimed that all final decisions regarding the SIR process were taken unanimously and have full legal sanction. It maintained that all final decisions taken by the Commission, including those related to the SIR exercise, were unanimous and carried the approval of all three commissioners.