ITANAGAR, SEP 27:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Arunachal Pradesh, on Sunday defended the Election Commission of India (ECI) amid the ongoing political debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and questioned the basis of recent criticism against the poll panel.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP State Head Office here, party spokesperson Tobom Dai said political leaders, particularly those holding constitutional positions, should exercise caution and verify information before making serious allegations concerning constitutional institutions.
Dai was referring to Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s September 24 remarks questioning the functioning of the Election Commission and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi had made the demand following reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR process.
Dai said the ECI’s clarification issued on September 26 should be taken into consideration while assessing the allegations and political claims surrounding the controversy. The clarification followed reports concerning objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on various issues related to the functioning of the Commission and the SIR process.
The ECI stated that the SIR order of June 24, 2025, and subsequent schedules were issued with the unanimous approval of the full Commission. It also announced changes to the verification process for voters flagged as unmapped or having logical discrepancies, including provision for Booth Level Officers to collect documents from their homes.
Dai said the clarification demonstrated the importance of distinguishing between media reports concerning internal differences and the Commission’s official position. He maintained that public discussion on electoral institutions should be based on verified information, official records and due process.
He also said electoral matters, including voter inclusion and verification, should be addressed through established constitutional and legal procedures rather than unverified claims.
Dai further criticised what he described as repeated targeting of constitutional institutions by Rahul Gandhi. He alleged that questions concerning the Election Commission were raised by Congress when it faced electoral defeats, and said constitutional institutions should be respected irrespective of electoral outcomes.
He called upon political parties and public representatives to examine official clarifications alongside media reports before reaching conclusions concerning the functioning of constitutional institutions.
BJP Arunachal Pradesh president Kaling Moyong, in a social media post, also referred to the ECI’s clarification on the unanimous approval of the SIR decision and stressed that electoral processes and constitutional institutions should be respected irrespective of political outcomes.
Lok Sabha MP Tapir Gao also referred to the ECI clarification in a social media post and stressed the need to respect democratic institutions and the electoral mandate.
The BJP Arunachal Pradesh reiterated that issues concerning the ECI, electoral rolls and the SIR process are matters of public importance and should be discussed responsibly, transparently and on the basis of verified information.
