New Delhi, Sep 23 Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday demanded an immediate halt to the SIR process, and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, following a news report that two Election Commissioners had objected to several decisions of the poll panel amid the SIR exercise.
The remarks came after The Indian Express reported on Wednesday that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders of the Election Commission, including on addition, deletion and restoration of voters and changes to the voter registration process.
In a statement issued here, the Politburo of the CPI(M) said the revelations raise serious questions not just about the process, but more importantly about the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) itself.
“The disclosures have only strengthened suspicions and concerns that the CPI(M), other opposition parties and civil society organisations have all along raised since the SIR process was initiated,” the CPI(M) said.
The Left party said according to the law all the three election commissioners are equal and any difference should be settled by a majority or unanimity.
“The CEC didn’t follow this rule, but went on imposing his views without caring for the objections raised by his other EC colleagues,” it said.
The CPI(M) accused the CEC of falsely claiming that the entire process is transparent and decentralised, and said it is now clear that over the past few months the entire system has been centralised to the extent that it obscures who is actually taking decisions.
“The issues raised by the two Election Commissioners go beyond the SIR process,” it said, adding, “People have lost confidence in a compromised Election Commission, for which CEC Gyanesh Kumar should be held accountable. He cannot continue in office any longer.”
The CPI(M) also demanded an “immediate halt to the SIR process”.
“The integrity and democratic functioning of the ECI must be restored. Transparency in the appointment of the Election Commissioner’s has to be ensured by scrapping the concerned legislation and enacting a new one by accepting the Supreme Court guidelines for a selection committee comprising of the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Chief Justice of India,” it said.
In the wake of the Indian Express report, EC officials said the two commissioners had flagged decisions taken during the poll roll cleanup and handling of the voter database in various states.
EC sources maintained that all decisions of the Election Commission of India, including SIR, have been unanimous and with the approval of both the Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.
(PTI News)
