New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday launched a strong defence of the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying internal deliberations among Election Commissioners should not be portrayed as a sign of discord but as part of a functioning democratic institution.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Patra questioned the Opposition’s repeated allegations against the poll panel and said the final authority in a democracy rests with the people.
Patra’s press conference followed The Indian Express report of September 23 that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised 14 formal objections over 10 months to the Commission’s decisions, including issues linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
At a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Patra said the Election Commissioners had held 14 rounds of official deliberations before reaching consensus on undertaking the SIR exercise.
He questioned why the Opposition was objecting to discussions within the Commission, arguing that debate and consultation among constitutional functionaries signalled a vibrant democracy.
Patra said the BJP had no intention of speaking on behalf of the Election Commission as the poll panel had already put out its own response. However, he sought to place the Opposition’s allegations in what he described as a broader political context.
He alleged that parties that had repeatedly lost elections were now targeting constitutional institutions after failing to secure electoral mandates. Referring particularly to the Congress, Patra alleged that attempts to undermine the Election Commission were part of a larger effort to discredit institutions when electoral outcomes did not favour the Opposition.
On allegations of “vote chori”, Patra cited figures from West Bengal and said the Opposition’s narrative did not correspond with the electoral results. He said that among the 20 constituencies witnessing the highest number of deleted names from electoral rolls, the Trinamool Congress won 13 while the BJP won six.
“If deletion of names from electoral rolls benefits the BJP, then how does the Opposition explain the TMC winning the majority of these constituencies?” Patra asked, arguing that the electoral data needed to be examined before making sweeping allegations.
He also pointed to the BJP-NDA’s electoral record between 2014 and 2024, saying the alliance had won some elections and lost others, formed governments in some states and lost power in others. He said this record raised questions over the Opposition’s claim that the Election Commission was being “managed” to favour the BJP.
Patra also questioned the Congress over controversies surrounding the appointment of Election Commissioners during its tenure.
Referring to former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami’s concerns about the appointment of Navin Chawla and allegations of his political proximity to the Congress, Patra asked the party to explain its position.
He also referred to newspaper headlines from that period suggesting that Sonia Gandhi had appointed the Chief Election Commissioner and questioned what constitutional position she held at the time that empowered her to make such an appointment.
Defending the current appointment process, Patra said transparency had been strengthened by including the Leader of the Opposition in the mechanism for appointing Election Commissioners. He urged political parties to respect the process upheld by the Supreme Court and the mandate voters delivered.
Patra further questioned the Opposition’s position on the Election Commission, SIR and EVMs, asking what electoral institutions it trusted if it had lost faith in all three.
He said that from 2014 onwards, the BJP had faced both victories and defeats in different elections, adding that governments had changed through the electoral process. The ultimate verdict in a democracy, he said, comes from the people through their votes.
(IANS)
