BJP defends Gyanesh Kumar as Opposition closes ranks on CEC

Red flags allegedly raised by two Election Commissioners within the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list triggered a political storm on Wednesday, with the Opposition demanding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and the ruling BJP asserting that differing views are a normal part of deliberation. 

Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, raised issues related to the deletion of names under the SIR and the decision-making process within the Election Commission of India (ECI) 14 times in the past few months, according to a report.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “The media reports saying that the election commissioners shared differing views in official deliberations is a reflection of pure democracy.” “If there is no communication and exchange of views among the election commissioners who conduct polls, the opposition parties would allege dictatorship and call them yes-men of the Government,” he charged.

“All opposition parties, who have been calling the EC and the Government dictatorial, have fallen into their own trap today,” Patra added, slamming the Opposition parties for levelling baseless allegations against the poll panel and the Government.

The Opposition parties, which have been critical of the ECI and the CEC over SIR, are demanding impeachment of CEC Kumar in Parliament.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reiterated his charge of vote theft against the ECI, terming it an act of treason and a crime against the people of India. “The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” Gandhi said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal demanded that CEC Gyanesh Kumar should be jailed and immediately removed from his post. Thackeray demanded that CEC Gyanesh Kumar be jailed and that the last elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu be nullified and repolls be held in these states using ballot papers.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that on April 24, 73 Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs had submitted a new Notice of Motion to the Secretary General to remove CEC Kumar.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Union Government and the ECI need to take corrective steps in order to prevent people from losing faith in the elections.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said in Lucknow that Governments formed during a period when the ECI was not functioning impartially were “unconstitutional”, and that the “interference” with the poll panel amounted to “trampling” democracy.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also demanded an immediate halt to the SIR process, and the removal of Kumar. CPI general secretary D Raja said CEC Gyanesh Kumar must resign over “Electoral purge”.

Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction leader Abhishek Banerjee too demanded the removal of CEC Kumar and sought a court-monitored investigation into the functioning of the poll panel.