Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday said the Election Commission must firmly present its position on questions being raised over the electoral process, stressing that public trust in elections should be maintained amid the ongoing political row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Paswan said the Election Commission, particularly the CEC, had a responsibility to address concerns raised by the Opposition.
"If such questions are being raised against the Election Commission, I believe it is also the responsibility of the Election Commission, especially the CEC, to firmly present its side. I don't care what the opposition says because it is their job to do politics," Paswan told reporters.
"The Election Commission must maintain the trust of the people because if doubts arise in the public's mind about the electoral process itself, that would be wrong. In such a situation, the Election Commission should firmly put forth its points so that no doubts arise in the people's minds," he added.
BJP Leaders Reject Rahul Gandhi's Allegations
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, speaking in Amritsar, criticised Gandhi's allegations and questioned how the Congress could have won in Keralam if the Election Commission was allegedly not functioning properly.
"Rahul Gandhi has uttered all wrong facts. If the Election Commission is not right, then how did you win in Keralam? Rahul Gandhi is making completely false allegations," Meghwal told ANI.
BJP MP Ashok Bajpai also reacted to Gandhi's remarks, saying, "Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly rejected by people in elections. Congress has lost its ground."
Meanwhile, Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat, responding to reports that Opposition parties were planning to move an impeachment motion notice against the CEC, said the party believed in the Constitution and would continue its protests over what it alleges is "vote theft".
"We certainly believe in the Constitution and its provisions. As I have repeatedly stated, they have consistently engaged in vote theft, acts committed under the protection of the government, under PM Modi's patronage. So, regarding the defeat, we are protesting today and again on Monday; we are continuously fulfilling our responsibility to stand by the sentiments of the people," he told ANI.
Rahul Gandhi Demands CEC's Resignation
The remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi alleged that elections in India, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and several state Assembly elections, had been "rigged" and demanded Kumar's resignation.
Gandhi also alleged irregularities in the electoral process and called for the CEC to "turn Approver".
The controversy erupted after The Express reported on Thursday that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
The Election Commission, however, rejected the assertion that the objections recorded by the two Election Commissioners represented institutional dissent over final decisions.
The poll panel said operational queries, internal feedback and administrative suggestions during the drafting stage were standard practice.
The ECI maintained that all final decisions taken by the three-member Commission, including those concerning SIR, were unanimous.
Congress Protests, CWC Meeting on September 29
The controversy over SIR and the Election Commission's internal functioning is expected to come up at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Congress workers staged nationwide protests on Friday demanding the resignation and removal of Kumar.
Demonstrations were reported in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh and Manipur, among other places.
Election Commission Explains ECINet Platform
The Election Commission has said that ECINet is a secure, decentralised digital platform operationalised under the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951.
It said statutory duties on ECINet are carried out by designated election officials, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), District Election Officers (DEOs) and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), using unique IDs and secure credentials.
The poll body began the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls last year as a clean-up exercise, under which electors submitted forms and documents through ECINet for processing by election officials.
