SIR Dissent Row Highlights: BJP challenges Opposition to bring CEC impeachment motion in Parliament

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The Election Commission's Form 6 changes have reportedly triggered objections from two Election Commissioners, who questioned their legality and impact on new voters. The row has also sparked a political confrontation, with Congress demanding the CEC's resignation and transparency over the dissent notes. Read full story

DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying he has "no right to continue in office". He also called for an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and sought a fair probe into the Election Commission’s functioning. Stalin cited an Indian Express report on objections reportedly raised by two Election Commissioners, saying its findings had cast "serious doubts" over Assembly election results held after SIR.

-PTI

Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said his party was the first to oppose the SIR when it began in Bihar and had challenged the process from the streets to the Supreme Court. He alleged that the latest report showed that the CEC had the BJP's protection to act in the party's interest.

Yadav further alleged that the SIR was being conducted arbitrarily across the country, naming Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and West Bengal. He claimed that the Opposition did not lose elections in these states but that the BJP was "made to win" with the help of the Election Commission. He alleged that Modi and Shah had "defied all rules" for their benefit and made the CEC act arbitrarily.

Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav hit out at the Election Commission over a report claiming that two Election Commissioners had raised objections to aspects of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Yadav alleged that despite the two commissioners raising "serious questions" about the exercise, the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar remained silent. He also claimed that the EC's statement was written under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

As questions over the Election Commission's handling of SIR deepen, former poll panel member Ashok Lavasa has added another dimension to the row, raising a more fundamental issue: whether the procedures used to revise electoral rolls were legally sound. Read full story here

BJP MP Sambit Patra said the party was not trying to protect any particular individual but was defending India's democracy and constitutional institutions. "We are not trying to save any specific individual; we are trying to save India's democracy," Patra said, accusing the Opposition of spreading "malicious propaganda" against constitutional institutions.

Responding to demands for impeachment and calls to raise the issue in Parliament, Patra challenged the Opposition to bring a blank sheet of paper, saying he would sign it. He also claimed that when Parliament's Winter Session begins, the Opposition would disrupt proceedings and stage protests outside the House.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra hit back at the Opposition over the Election Commission's dissent report, asking how the BJP could have benefited from voter deletions when it lost more than half of the 20 Bengal seats with the most deletions. He also defended the EC's deliberations as part of the democratic process. Read full story here

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stepped up her attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, demanding his arrest and criminal proceedings against him.

In a Facebook Live, Banerjee alleged that the BJP and Gyanesh Kumar had functioned as a "joint venture company" and accused them of "looting" the Bengal election. She said the Election Commission had provided protection to the BJP and claimed that the alleged irregularities had now come to light.

"We have never seen such a massive scandal," Banerjee said, adding that Gyanesh Kumar had no "moral authority" to continue as CEC. She said her party had approached the Chief Justice of India seeking redressal.

Banerjee also demanded re-election in all states where Gyanesh Kumar conducted elections and the SIR exercise was carried out. She said the INDIA bloc would meet soon and called for an "uprising" over the issue.

BJP MP Sambit Patra said the Opposition's allegation that the BJP wins elections through "vote chori" was contradicted by the results of the West Bengal Assembly election. He said that among the 20 constituencies where voter deletions during the SIR process were the highest, the Trinamool Congress won a majority of the seats, while the BJP won only six. Patra cited this to argue that the SIR exercise did not simply benefit the BJP. The Election Commission has also said that the TMC won seats where deletions exceeded the winning margin.

BJP MP Sambit Patra said the Election Commission's detailed note on the SIR controversy shows that official deliberations took place among all the Election Commissioners.

Patra said the deliberative process demonstrated the "beauty of democratic process", adding that after discussions, all Election Commissioners were on the same page on the decisions taken. He said the ECI was not functioning under any "dictatorial rule" but was following a democratic process.

Patra also hit out at the Opposition's allegations that the BJP's electoral victories were a result of "vote chori", calling them false.

BJP MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday accused the Opposition of targeting the Election Commission after repeatedly losing elections since 2014. Speaking at a press conference, Patra said the Opposition had turned its attack towards constitutional institutions after failing to win the trust of the people. Patra said the Election Commission had now issued a detailed note addressing the allegations surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has questioned the legal procedure followed by the Election Commission in taking decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling it a controversial decision.

Lavasa, in a conversation with India Today, said a difference of opinion within the Election Commission should not automatically be treated as dissent, but argued that such differences should be made public in the interest of transparency and accountability. He also questioned why an Election Commissioner would need to write to the Cabinet Secretary on an EC decision, pointing out that the Cabinet has no role in decisions taken by the poll panel.

He said the full details of the decision-making process should be placed in the public domain. Lavasa also maintained that electoral rules can be modified, but only in accordance with the law.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday cautioned that India risks resembling a "banana republic" if the "fudging" of electoral rolls to suit the ruling BJP goes unchecked.

The PDP president was reacting to an Indian Express report that two Election Commissioners had objected to the Election Commission's steps 14 times in 10 months amid the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters list.

(with inputs from PTI)

TMC's Mamata faction leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and sought a court-monitored investigation into the functioning of the poll panel, citing a media report that two election commissioners had raised objections to decisions linked to the voter list revision.

Banerjee, in a social media post, said, "The CEC must be removed immediately and a court-monitored investigation ordered."

He alleged that "disenfranchising lakhs of voters to allegedly benefit one political party strikes at the very foundation of our democracy", and said those responsible must be held accountable.

(with inputs from PTI)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday demanded an immediate halt to the SIR process, and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, following an Indian Express report that two Election Commissioners had objected to several decisions of the poll panel amid the SIR exercise.

In a statement, the Politburo of the CPI(M) said the revelations raise serious questions not just about the process, but more importantly about the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) itself.

(with inputs from PTI)

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar be jailed, citing reports of differences emerging within the Election Commission.

Addressing a news conference, Thackeray also demanded that the last elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu be nullified and repolls be held in these states using ballot papers.

(with inputs from PTI)

The Election Commission of India said internal notes, queries and differing views are a routine part of its decision-making process. It said its orders, reforms and digital systems follow legal procedures, unanimous approvals and security safeguards. READ FULL STATEMENT HERE

The Election Commission on Wednesday said differences and observations among its members were a normal part of institutional deliberations, while asserting that reports highlighting internal notes on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) showed only “one part of the picture”.

Responding to an Indian Express report that two Election Commissioners had objected 14 times to various aspects of the SIR exercise over the past 10 months, the poll panel said written notes, observations and technical suggestions were part of its routine checks and balances.

The EC maintained that all its final decisions and actions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously by the full Commission and in accordance with law.

The Express report triggered strong reactions from Opposition leaders, with leaders such as Rahul Gandhi calling it an “act of treason” and Arvind Kejriwal demanding the arrest of Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday described the reported dissent within the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an “act of treason” and demanded that those responsible be held accountable and investigated by an impartial authority.

“It is actually, it is treachery with the nation. It is an act of treason. Those responsible must be held accountable and thoroughly investigated by an impartial authority,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

“My brother Rahul Gandhi ji has been continuously raising the issue of bias and the injustice being carried out through the EC. He has highlighted several issues, and now the Election Commissioners themselves have brought these concerns to the attention of Gyanesh Kumar ji,” she added.