Agencies | New Delhi:
Key constituents of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) leader Upendra Kushwaha and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders, have called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify reports of internal differences over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The interventions from the ruling alliance partners come after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period to decisions concerning the revision of electoral rolls.
The reported objections covered issues including changes to statutory voter registration Form 6, the handling of additions and deletions from electoral rolls, and the centralised management of electoral-roll data.
Paswan said he was neither defending the Election Commission nor endorsing the Opposition’s allegations, but argued that the poll panel should directly address questions being raised by the public. He said the Chief Election Commissioner had a responsibility to clarify the Commission’s position and dispel doubts about the electoral process.
Kushwaha also called for an immediate clarification, saying there was confusion among the public over the SIR exercise. TDP Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu said transparency and appropriate explanations whenever questions are raised would help strengthen public confidence in the constitutional institution.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that the reported differences amounted to a breakdown in decision-making. Responding to the reports, the ECI said differing views, observations and technical suggestions were part of the normal deliberative process within a multi-member constitutional body. It maintained that final decisions of the Commission had been taken unanimously and that its actions were in accordance with law and its instructions.
The controversy comes amid continuing political and legal scrutiny of the SIR exercise. The reported internal objections and the calls for greater transparency from parties within the ruling coalition have added another dimension to the debate over the functioning of the poll panel and the management of electoral rolls.
With questions being raised both politically and legally, the ECI faces continued calls to explain its procedures and the manner in which differences among its members are handled before final decisions are taken.
