Unease within NDA over EC-SIR row? Three BJP allies seek poll body clarification as opposition keeps up pressure

NEW DELHI: Unease within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over a media report concerning Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar surfaced on Friday, with three BJP allies urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to issue a clearer response.Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan was the first NDA ally to urge the ECI to dispel “misgivings in the minds of the people.”“Let me make it clear that, as part of the government, I do not intend to defend what is a constitutional body. I am also not much worried about the allegations made by the opposition, which will always take a stand that suits it politically,” Paswan told reporters in Patna.“However, if people start losing trust in the electoral system, that will not augur well for democracy. Therefore, I think the Election Commission must come out with its clarification more forcefully. It need not respond to what Rahul Gandhi and his associates are saying, but it must dispel misgivings in the minds of the people,” the Hajipur MP added.Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha also called for a clarification, saying the controversy had created “confusion” among the public."The controversy regarding the SIR has created a situation of significant confusion among the public. The matter needs to be addressed. The Election Commission should immediately issue a clarification regarding the actual situation to clear up this confusion," Kushwaha posted on X.The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) described the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Andhra Pradesh as a “success,” while noting that a clarification from the ECI would be “beneficial”.“The exercise has been a success. Even the opposition has not been able to substantiate its 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,” TDP MP Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu said.What is the controversyThe allies’ remarks came after a report in The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had, on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months, recorded objections to decisions and orders apparently issued without their knowledge or recommendation.The objections reportedly related to changes to the statutory voter registration Form 6, the process for adding and deleting names from electoral rolls, and the centralised control of the electoral roll database.The report prompted opposition parties to demand the CEC’s removal and call for the SIR exercise to be halted.The ECI, however, asserted that differences of opinion among its members were a “normal part of deliberation” and maintained that its final decisions, including those concerning the SIR, had been “unanimous”.According to the Commission, all its official orders and directions had legal sanction, while describing the suggestions made by the two Election Commissioners as efforts to improve electoral processes. Neither Sandhu nor Joshi has publicly commented on the objections attributed to them.The BJP, meanwhile, has played down the reported differences within the Commission, saying that the exchange of views during official deliberations reflected “pure democracy." The saffron party's West Bengal unit chief, Samik Bhattacharya, for instance, suggested that Gyanesh Kumar be awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilan honour."The fact is, even the Congress party itself doesn't heed Rahul Gandhi's words; they don't take him seriously... Gyanesh Kumar deserves, at the very least, the Padma Bhushan... In a border state like this (West Bengal), Gyanesh Kumar took the initiative to remove the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators from the voter list," Bhattacharya said.Kumar, who became an Election Commissioner in 2024 and CEC in 2025, has repeatedly faced allegations from the Opposition that he has “favoured” the BJP.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.