newspop
New Delhi : Amidst allegations leveled against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, a petition filed in the Supreme Court claims that power has been centralized within the Election Commission and that crucial decisions were taken without the consent of the two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The petition seeks a judicial inquiry or the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct an impartial probe into the matter.
The petitioner cites several issues, including changes to the SIR process and Form-6, control over data via ECINet, restrictions imposed on Electoral Registration Officers, and the filing of 1.61 million (16.10 lakh) appeals in Bengal without informing the two Commissioners. The petition relies on a report stating that the other two Commissioners—Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi had raised objections to the Chief Election Commissioner’s decisions on at least 14 occasions over the past ten months, yet their concerns went unheeded.
The petition demands that any decisions made without the consent of both Commissioners be set aside and that Form-6 be restored to its previous format. It also calls for a forensic audit of the data collected under ECINet and urges for a judicial inquiry or an SIT probe into the entire matter. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has clarified its position, stating that differences of opinion are an internal matter and a part of the working process; ultimately, all decisions are reached through consensus.
The Bharatiya Janata Party issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Gyanesh Kumar, stating that if he did not resign, nationwide protests would commence on October 2. Meanwhile, the Congress has already launched an offensive against the Election Commission and Gyanesh Kumar; the party held protests in several cities on Friday as well.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the Congress and the ‘INDIA bloc’ of being bent on tarnishing the reputation of constitutional institutions like the Election Commission out of frustration over repeated electoral defeats. The BJP launched a nationwide attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the propaganda against the Commission. Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan), Bhupendra Patel (Gujarat), Nayab Singh Saini (Haryana), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), and Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), along with Rekha Gupta (Delhi), Samrat Choudhary (Bihar), and Suvendu Adhikari (West Bengal), addressed press conferences on this issue.
Report – Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)
