LJP (Ram Vilas), TDP and RLM sought clearer answers from the Election Commission over concerns raised by two Election Commissioners.
Chirag Paswan said public faith in the electoral system could be affected and urged the poll panel to address public misgivings.
The Election Commission said decisions taken over the past year were unanimous and differing views were part of institutional deliberations.
'Faith At Stake': BJP Allies Raise Concerns Over EC Row, Seek Clarity On SIR
BJP allies LJP (Ram Vilas), TDP and RLM seek clearer answers from the Election Commission after concerns raised by two Election Commissioners over voter roll revision
Summary
BJP allies LJP (Ram Vilas), TDP and RLM on Friday sought a clearer explanation from the Election Commission over concerns raised by two Election Commissioners regarding voter list revision, with Union Minister Chirag Paswan saying public faith in the electoral system was at stake.
Their remarks came after a report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times in the past 10 months to decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The objections reportedly concerned changes to the statutory voter registration Form 6, the handling of additions and deletions from electoral rolls, and centralised control of the electoral roll database.
The report has also led Opposition parties to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) President Chirag Paswan said he is not speaking on behalf of the Election Commission or endorsing the Opposition's allegations. However, he said the questions raised before the public required a clearer response from the poll panel.
“If people start losing trust in the electoral system, that will not augur well for democracy and, therefore, I think the Election Commission must come out with its clarification more forcefully,” Paswan noted.
He added that the Commission need not respond to Rahul Gandhi and his associates but should address concerns among the public and dispel misgivings.
TDP's Devarayalu said SIR had been conducted transparently in Andhra Pradesh and described the exercise as a success. He said the Opposition had not been able to substantiate concerns regarding the process in the state.
However, he said the Election Commission is a constitutional institution with a crucial responsibility in a democracy and that providing clarification whenever questions are raised would help maintain transparency and public confidence.
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RLM Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha also said the controversy had created confusion among people. In an X post tagging the Election Commission, he called for an immediate clarification on the actual situation.
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