New Delhi: Now a reaction has emerged from within the ruling NDA on the ongoing controversy regarding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan has said that if questions are being raised about the functioning of the Election Commission, then the Commission, especially the CEC, should present its stand clearly. He said that there should not be any doubt in the minds of the public regarding the electoral process. This statement has come at a time when the opposition is continuously raising questions on the Election Commission regarding SIR.
What did Chirag Paswan say?
On the question asked by Rahul Gandhi regarding the demand for resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, Chirag Paswan said that the Election Commission has its own responsibility, apart from what the opposition says. According to him, if questions arise on the Commission, it should strongly present its stand before the public. He said that it is important to maintain people’s trust in the electoral process.
Where did the controversy start?
The controversy escalated after reports claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi filed formal objections at least 14 times on decisions related to SIR and voter lists in the last 10 months. The report mentions issues like voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes in Form 6 and access to electoral data.
According to the report, both election commissioners raised objections to some decisions and claimed that some steps were taken without their knowledge or consent. However, the Election Commission’s stand on these issues is different.
What clarification did the Election Commission give?
The Election Commission has said that consideration and raising of questions on different issues is part of the normal process in a multi-member body. According to the Commission, all final decisions, including the SIR, were taken unanimously and have a legal basis. That is, the Commission did not accept the conclusion made in those reports that there was no consensus of the members in the final decisions.
Why is the opposition demanding resignation of Gyanesh Kumar?
Opposition parties have intensified their demand for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar on the basis of differences revealed in the report. Rahul Gandhi had also demanded Kumar’s resignation on Thursday. On Friday, Congress demonstrated in many states. Some opposition parties have also raised the demand for an independent review of the functioning of the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, a petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court on the dispute related to SIR. The petition alleged that some decisions were taken without the consent of other election commissioners and names of a large number of voters were removed during the SIR. In the petition, a demand has been made to constitute SIT to investigate these cases. These are the allegations made in the petition at present, on which a judicial decision is yet to be taken.
What next amid CEC controversy?
At present the center of controversy is on two different claims. While the report mentions the objections lodged by two election commissioners, the Election Commission says that it is normal to have different opinions in internal deliberations and the final decisions related to SIR were taken unanimously. In such a situation, detailed clarification from the Commission and further reaction of political parties on this issue will be monitored in the coming days.
