After Union Minister and LJP chief Chirag Paswan called on the Election Commission to clarify the allegations against the institution, at least two more BJP allies in the NDA have spoken out.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha also called for an immediate clarification, while Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu said transparency would help strengthen confidence in the constitutional institution.
The BJP allies — LJP (Ram Vilas), TDP and RLM — on Friday sought a clearer explanation from the Election Commission regarding concerns raised by two Election Commissioners over the voter list revision, with Union Minister Chirag Paswan warning that public faith in elections was at stake. That makes it three NDA partners calling for clarifications from the poll panel that has come under Opposition fire after the damning report in The Indian Express. The report has prompted Opposition demands for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and the halting of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. “The exercise (SIR) has been a success. Even the opposition has not been able to substantiate concerns regarding the process in Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, the Election Commission of India is a constitutional institution entrusted with a crucial responsibility in our democracy.
Therefore, whenever questions are raised by anyone, providing appropriate clarification and maintaining transparency will only help strengthen public confidence in the institution,” he said. Their remarks followed a report published by The Indian Express , which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
