"EC press note actually works against them": Former CEC SY Quraishi over electoral rolls row

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi on Monday said the Election Commission's recent press note "actually works against them", alleging that the poll panel's own statement acknowledged several shortcomings in its functioning.

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi on Monday said the Election Commission's recent press note "actually works against them", alleging that the poll panel's own statement acknowledged several shortcomings in its functioning. The former Chief Election Commissioner's remarks came amid a growing controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Speaking to ANI on the controversy, Quraishi said, "The press note the Election Commission issued actually works against them. In it, they have admitted to various errors that were occurring. They state that, moving forward, they will hold agenda meetings, implying they didn't do so before; they will issue agendas, implying they didn't do so before; they will issue minutes, implying they didn't do so before; and they will actually hear matters, implying they didn't do so before. What kind of absurd talk is this? Can there be two sets of laws in India? One version of Form 6 will be used for you. A different version of Form 6 will be used for me," Quraishi said. His comments came after a recent Indian Express report said, "Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months on decisions and orders related to the SIR process and other electoral matters. The reported disagreements included issues concerning Form 6, voter deletions and access to electoral-roll databases."

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said all decisions related to the schedule of the SIR of electoral rolls were taken with the "unanimous approval of the Commission", and clarified that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary was related to the functioning of an officer on deputation and not any policy matter of the poll body. Election Commission had earlier rejected the suggestion that the objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. The Commission maintained that all decisions, including those related to SIR, were unanimous and had the approval of all three commissioners.

Meanwhile, former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung also criticised the Election Commission's functioning and called for changes in its composition. "Our view is that whatever the Election Commission is doing, it is acting unlawfully. All three commissioners should be removed and replaced by new ones; SIR should be scrapped, and the elections conducted under it should be annulled," Jung told ANI.

Opposition parties including the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have also called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The Congress has been protesting against the SIR of electoral rolls and has alleged irregularities in the electoral process.

Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday termed the ongoing controversy over SIR a "shocking situation", alleging that citizens were being denied their democratic voting rights and calling for an accountable electoral system. Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said, "What we're seeing is unfortunately the denial of democratic voting rights to citizens of India. They are finding their right to vote, which is a constitutional guarantee democratic right, being taken away. To my mind, this is completely unacceptable. And what is essential for us today is to ensure that whatever happens, our own democratic rights as citizens should be protected above all..."

Tharoor also alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had taken decisions that bypassed the other two Election Commissioners and claimed that changes to the electoral software had prevented electoral officers from restoring voters who had been deleted. (ANI)