EC, govt under scrutiny, won't be impartial under BJP: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged the Election Commission and BJP are in collusion, claiming constitutional bodies won't be impartial under their rule. The row follows reports of dissent within the EC over the SIR exercise.

Akhilesh Yadav Accuses BJP and EC of Collusion

As the opposition continues to target Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday claimed that both the central government and the poll body are under intense scrutiny.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav claimed that as long as the BJP remains in power, constitutional bodies won't be "impartial". "Governments become weak when their time to leave approaches; that is when they resort to injustice. They file false cases and exert pressure on people. Those who once won elections through the Election Commission are now under scrutiny; the entire nation and all political parties are questioning the credibility of both the Election Commission and the government," Yadav said. He further alleged that "it appears the BJP and the Election Commission are conducting elections in collusion."

Escalating his attack, Yadav further stated, "Those currently in power include individuals who subscribe to the ideology of the very person accused and tried for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi. Therefore, one cannot expect anything from them. Until the BJP is removed and impartiality is restored to the Election Commission and all our constitutional bodies, things won't change."

Row Over Internal EC Procedures

The political row intensified following a report by The Indian Express, which reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise and other electoral matters. The reported objections included issues concerning Form 6, voter deletions and access to electoral-roll databases.

ECI Rejects Dissent Claims

The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said that operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. ECI stated that the decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous.

Opposition Protests and Future Actions

Amid the ongoing friction, civil society groups and political organisations staged demonstrations. Activists of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other civil society organisations protested at Shivaji Park in Mumbai against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.

As it happened, members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and opposition leaders gathered near Jantar Mantar to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Several opposition leaders, including AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, were detained amid prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

The opposition's campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner is expected to continue, with the INDIA bloc planning further protests, including a program on October 6 and a major rally in Delhi on November 1.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)