New Delhi:
In its first statement following a report in the Indian Express that indicated critical problems within the Election Commission of India (ECI), the poll body today said all decisions taken by it in the last one year were unanimous and that “differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution.”
The report had said two election commissioners “objected on record” several decisions taken by the poll body allegedly without their knowledge.
The ECI’s top three officers are Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
“Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. They are a part of the decision-making process before a final decision is taken. Not only the three Commissioners, but every officer of the Commission is fully authorized to give his suggestions to the Commission for improving the electoral system,” the ECI said in a statement this afternoon.
Alluding to the report, the ECI said highlighting certain specific internal notes and observations spread over the period of 10 months while overlooking the much larger body of approvals, decisions, instructions and initiatives give only one part of the picture.
“In recent months, the commission has taken numerous decisions, issued instructions, introduced around 40 new initiatives and undertaken many electoral reforms including the conduct of electoral roll revision (including SIR) across the country. All these decisions are an outcome of the unanimous decisions of the full commission in the past one year,” the poll body said in the statement signed by its Deputy Director P Pawan.
The ECI’s statement is likely to face a strong pushback from Opposition parties as they have instead demanded a point-by-point rebuttal to the report which very specifically pointed out that Sandhu and Joshi had raised formal objections at least 14 times over 10 months, including concerns about changes to Form 6 and the centralisation of electoral roll data.
Already, the report has opened a new and much more volatile front in the long battle between the Opposition and the ruling BJP over the ECI’s voter roll cleanup exercise, Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which the Opposition alleged was a sophisticated process to exclude voters for the BJP’s gain.
The Congress party today alleged the ECI may not be working as an independent body anymore. Rahul Gandhi led the charge with his opening attack that set the path open for the rest of the Congress party’s leaders to punch through.
“Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” he wrote in a post on X.
The also shared a 15-second video in which he is seen telling the ECI and its officers that what they have been doing was wrong. “Your time will come. You cannot get away,” he said.
