SIR controversy sparks fresh BJP-Opposition clash
The BJP and the Opposition sparred over the Election Commission’s statement on the ongoing controversy during the SIR exercise. The ruling BJP and its NDA partner TDP seized the EC’s statement, turning an institutional row into a blunt political attack.
The ruling BJP on Saturday said that the ECI statement on the SIR row has “clearly established” that the decision to conduct a SIR of electoral rolls was taken with the full consensus of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the two election commissioners. Soon after the EC’s statement, the Congress hit back, claiming they’re in “damage control mode” and adding that the EC didn’t deny the media report claims and gave a “wishy-washy” statement which “avoids answering the questions regarding the deliberate targeting of Gen Z voters.”
After the EC’s statement, senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said Rahul Gandhi had run “malicious propaganda” on a “factually wrong” media report. “Rahul Gandhi was lying and running malicious propaganda. He is a non-serious politician,” Prasad said.
The Opposition said their demand for removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar remained central to its campaign against the Election Commission.
Commenting on the matter, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Based on a media report which was factually wrong, the opposition, especially Rahul Gandhi, was levelling baseless and shameless allegations.”
“The EC’s statement has exposed the Congress and Rahul Gandhi,” he said. Prasad also took on the other opposition parties, saying they should work hard to win elections, instead of levelling baseless allegations against the poll authority.
NDA partner Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the “unanimous clarification” issued by the Election Commission on the SIR issue reaffirmed the integrity and credibility of the country’s constitutional institutions and put to rest all the misconceptions surrounding it.
In a post on X, Naidu, whose TDP is one of the key constituents of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said the decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are taken “collectively” and in strict adherence to established institutional protocols.
“Attempts to undermine global confidence in India’s democratic framework or electoral processes for short-term political gains are deeply unfortunate,” the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president said in a veiled attack against the Congress and its allies.
“Electoral outcomes reflect the people’s mandate. In a robust democracy, leadership also means accepting both victories and defeats with grace and humility,” Naidu said, adding, “Respect for our constitutional institutions is paramount. It is the collective responsibility of leaders across party lines to uphold public confidence in India’s democratic process.”
Congress general secretary (communications) and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday launched a fresh attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) over its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the poll panel’s latest press note had failed to directly rebut the findings of recent media reports and demanding the immediate suspension of the exercise as well as the resignation or prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Trinamool Congress national joint secretary Derek O’Brien on Saturday said the opposition’s demand to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar remained central to its campaign against the Election Commission. Other demands, including changes in the CEC selection process and opposition to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, were also firmly in place, he said.
The remarks came after the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday asserted that all orders related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were issued after approval from all three election commissioners, and the changes in Form 6, through which names are included in the voters’ list, have been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Amid the ongoing row over “differences” between two election commissioners and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the EC said in a statement that the letters sent by the two commissioners - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi - to the Cabinet Secretary were not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division, but to the working of an officer on deputation to the poll panel.