New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Wednesday alleged large-scale irregularities in elections and claimed that legal changes were made to protect Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, as INDIA Bloc leaders met in New Delhi to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns over the Election Commission.
Yadav alleged that the scale of irregularities in elections had prompted the meeting and referred to questions reportedly raised by two Election Commissioners.
“Given the scale of rigging that has taken place throughout the elections, and as revealed by the two Election Commissioners who raised questions, this meeting is being held to address that,” Yadav said, alleging that elections had been affected by irregularities.
He further alleged that changes were made to the law to protect the Chief Election Commissioner.
Tejashwi Yadav Raises Questions Over Election Laws
Yadav claimed that the Chief Justice was excluded from the process of selecting the Election Commissioner and alleged that the period for preserving voting records was reduced from one year to 45 days.
“To protect the Election Commissioner, to protect Gyanesh Kumar, the laws were changed beforehand,” he alleged.
The Election Commission’s official guidelines state that videography and CCTV footage of various stages of the election process are to be kept in safe custody until 45 days from the declaration of election results, unless an election petition or other relevant proceeding is pending.
The INDIA Bloc meeting was held at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, with Opposition parties discussing the SIR exercise and their concerns regarding the functioning of the Election Commission.
INDIA Bloc Discusses SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar
CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby said earlier that the meeting would focus on the continuation of Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner and on ways to build a wider campaign around the issue.
Baby also referred to protests being held by Left parties against the Election Commission and said the parties would discuss how different protest activities could be coordinated.
The issue comes amid wider political and legal scrutiny of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging the functioning of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and seeking to declare the nationwide SIR of electoral rolls illegal.
Opposition Raises Concerns Over SIR
National Conference MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi said the central issue before the Opposition alliance was the SIR exercise and concerns surrounding the Election Commission.
He said public confidence in the Election Commission was important for the functioning of democracy and expressed concern that any perceived lack of trust in the poll body could affect public faith in the electoral process.
The INDIA Bloc meeting comes as Opposition parties continue to raise questions over the SIR exercise, the functioning of the Election Commission and the role of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The Election Commission, meanwhile, has maintained that its processes are being conducted according to established legal and procedural norms.