SIR row: BJP allies welcome Election Commission’s clarification, accuse opposition of spreading misinformation | Today’s news
A day after three NDA voters sought a clearer explanation from the Election Commission on the objections raised by the poll panel to revise the electoral roll, BJP allies on Saturday rallied behind the panel, saying its latest statement addressed the concerns they had raised.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan, whose LJP (Ram Vilas) on Friday said public confidence in the elections was under threat and urged the electoral body to dispel doubts, noted that the EC has now clarified its stand on all key issues.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the EC’s clarification reaffirmed the “integrity and credibility” of constitutional institutions, while JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha accused the opposition of spreading misconceptions about the electoral body.
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
A Special Intensive Review (SIR) is a process initiated by the Electoral Commission to update the electoral rolls and ensure the accuracy of voter representation. It is essential to maintaining public confidence and integrity in the electoral process.
The Election Commission clarified that decisions regarding the SIR process were taken unanimously by all three commissioners, addressing internal concerns and affirming the integrity of the process amid growing misconceptions.
During the SIR, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit houses to collect documents from notice-issued voters, minimizing the need for face-to-face hearings, which will occur only in exceptional cases.
NDA allies have raised concerns about transparency to restore confidence in the electoral process after reports suggested internal disagreements within the Election Commission over the SIR’s decision.
Yes, the Election Commission’s decisions on SIRs were upheld by the Supreme Court and were passed unanimously, strengthening their legal validity and public confidence in the electoral process.
The remarks marked a change in tone among NDA constituents after LJP (Ram Vilas), Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha on Friday asked the Commission for more clarity on the dispute.
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After a meeting between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on Saturday, the poll panel said the special intensive review (SIR) orders had unanimous consent of all the three commissioners.
She also said that the letters sent by Sandhu and Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary were about the officer on deputation and not about policy or matters related to the Commission’s IT division.
The EC has announced several measures regarding its internal workings and the SIR, including a review of ECINET by a committee with an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT, advance circulation of the Commission’s agendas, and door-to-door collection of documents from voter notices issued.
Read also | Kejriwal seeks return of SIR, new polls amid allegations on EC’s functioning
Paswan, who said on Friday that he had no intention of “defending what is a constitutional body” and that the EC needed to clarify the matter more forcefully to maintain public trust, welcomed Saturday’s statement.
“It is my responsibility to bring to the fore any questions or concerns the public may have and ensure that they are clearly addressed. In fact, it is with this sense of responsibility that we have brought public concerns about SIR to the Electoral Commission,” he said.
“Today, the Election Commission has clarified its position point by point on all key issues. The facts regarding the SIR process, the unanimity between the three commissioners and the meeting with the Cabinet Secretary have also been clearly presented. This clarity further strengthens public confidence in democracy,” Paswan said.
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Naidu, whose TDP had a day earlier said that clarification and greater transparency would help boost confidence in the constitutional institution, also backed the EC after Saturday’s announcement.
“The unanimous clarification issued by the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, reaffirms the integrity and credibility of our constitutional institutions and dispels all misconceptions surrounding them,” Naidu said.
He said decisions regarding the SIR were taken collectively and in accordance with established institutional protocols, and described attempts to undermine confidence in India’s democratic framework for “short-term political gains” as unfortunate.
The JD(U)’s Jha said the election body’s statement proved that “spread misconceptions about constitutional bodies are baseless”.
He accused the opposition of spreading the “false notion” that there was no consensus within the Commission on the SIR, and said official records refuted such claims.
Jha also cited the EC’s decision on door-to-door collection of forms, special camps for senior citizens, homeless and poor and online hearings, saying it demonstrated its commitment to impartiality and public convenience.
“Despite this, the spread of misinformation against a key constitutional body like the Election Commission is unfortunate and the opposition should apologize to the nation,” he said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde also targeted the opposition, claiming that it challenged the EC and electronic voting machines when the election verdicts went against it, but remained silent when it won the election.
“If anything wrong has happened, it will be thoroughly investigated,” Shinde said, adding that making provocative statements against constitutional institutions whenever the mandate was against the opposition was “simply wrong”.
