NDA Allies Back Call For ECI Clarification On Reported Dissent Over SIR

After Union minister Chirag Paswan, two other BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies have urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify reports of differences within the poll panel over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders have called for greater clarity from the poll body, saying it would help address concerns among voters and maintain public confidence in the electoral process.

The calls follow an investigation by The Indian Express which reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions taken in the Commission’s name.

Chirag Paswan Says CEC Must Assure Public

Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said the Election Commission, particularly the Chief Election Commissioner, had a responsibility to respond to questions being raised about its functioning.

“I would not defend anyone,” Paswan said, according to PTI, adding that the ECI was an independent constitutional institution.

“If such questions are being raised on the ECI, then it is their responsibility, specifically the Chief Election Commissioner's, that they put forward their stance strongly,” he said.

Paswan said Opposition criticism did not concern him politically, but argued that a clarification was necessary for the public.

“The CEC must answer not to satisfy the Opposition but to assure the public,” he said, adding that it would be a problem if voters developed doubts about the electoral process.

RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha also said there was “a great deal of confusion” among the public over the SIR exercise.

“The matter needs to be addressed. To dispel the confusion, the Election Commission should immediately issue a clarification on the correct position,” Kushwaha said in a post on X.

TDP Seeks Transparency, ECI Says Decisions Are Unanimous

The TDP said the SIR was being conducted in a “transparent manner”, while acknowledging the importance of the Election Commission providing explanations when questions are raised about its functioning.

TDP Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu told The Indian Express that the ECI was a constitutional institution entrusted with a crucial responsibility and that appropriate clarification would help strengthen public confidence.

The ECI, meanwhile, rejected the suggestion that reported differences amounted to a breakdown in decision-making. Responding to the Indian Express report, the poll body said “internal checks-and-balances are standard” in a multi-member constitutional body.

The Commission said its members could have individual views, observations or suggestions during deliberations, but all final decisions were taken unanimously.

“All actions of ECI have been in accordance with laws and instructions of the Commission,” it said.

The controversy has also triggered a political response from the Opposition. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while reiterating his allegations of “vote-chori”. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the report raised serious questions about the ECI, while AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal demanded Kumar’s arrest and prosecution and called for fresh elections in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

The ECI has rejected the broader allegations, while the political debate over the SIR and the functioning of the poll panel continues.