Three NDA Allies Seek EC Clarification on SIR Row

• Three NDA allies seek clarification from the Election Commission on the SIR controversy.
• Chirag Paswan says public confidence in the electoral system must be protected.
• TDP’s Lavu Devarayalu calls transparency important for strengthening institutional trust.
• ECI maintains that its decisions were unanimous despite differing views during deliberations.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th Sept: Three parties in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance — LJP (Ram Vilas), Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) — have called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify concerns surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan said the Commission should respond more forcefully to questions being raised publicly, while RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha called for an immediate clarification. TDP Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu said greater transparency would help strengthen public confidence in the constitutional institution.

The remarks followed a report by The Indian Express alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and orders related to electoral-roll management. The reported objections included changes to voter registration Form 6, additions and deletions from electoral rolls and access to the central electoral-roll database.

Paswan said he was neither speaking on behalf of the Election Commission nor endorsing allegations made by the Opposition. However, he said the questions being raised required a clearer response from the poll panel, particularly to address concerns among the public.

“If people start losing trust in the electoral system, that will not augur well for democracy,” Paswan said, adding that the Commission should “dispel misgivings in the minds of the people.”

Devarayalu said the SIR exercise in Andhra Pradesh had been conducted transparently and that the Opposition had not substantiated its concerns there. At the same time, he said the ECI’s responsibility as a constitutional institution made appropriate clarification and transparency important whenever questions were raised.

Kushwaha also said the controversy had created confusion among the public and called for the Commission to clarify the actual position.

The Election Commission, responding to the Indian Express report, has said that decisions taken by the poll panel over the past year were unanimous and that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations.

The controversy comes amid broader political disagreements over the SIR exercise and its implications for electoral rolls. The Opposition has demanded action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for the SIR process to be halted. These demands remain contested politically.