Priyanka Chaturvedi questions Election Commission's silence, backs due process for CEC removal

New Delhi: Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday questioned the Election Commission's silence over concerns raised by its own members regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, while maintaining changes in government should take place only through people's votes.

"A change of government is a process in every democracy. One party is in power today, and another may come to power at a different time. However, this depends on the functioning of a robust Election Commission," she said.

Chaturvedi cited the case of Delhi High Court's former judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, saying parliamentary procedures should be followed in such matters. She expressed hope that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla would act in accordance with the rules if an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) was brought before Parliament.

Chaturvedi also criticised the Election Commission for not holding a press conference or responding to questions since issuing its press note.

She said the BJP should recognise that actions directed against the Opposition today could affect it in the future.

“These concerns have come from within the Election Commission itself. The Election Commissioners met the Cabinet Secretary,” she said.

Questioning the origins of the controversy, Chaturvedi said the Opposition had not initially raised these concerns. She alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar had faced questions from two fellow Election Commissioners over the SIR process, additions and deletions in electoral rolls, and Forms 6 and 7.

Referring to media reports that the Cabinet Secretary had forwarded the commissioners' letters to the Law Minister, she said any change of government must take place through a democratic mandate.

“Today’s newspapers state that the Cabinet Secretary forwarded those letters to the Law Minister; if we talk about regime change, then it should be done only through the vote of the masses,” she said.

"Questions will be raised when you remove voters who would vote against you through SIR," she added.

However, Chaturvedi also said that political change should not draw inspiration from Bangladesh or any other country. Governments, she reiterated, should be changed through the people's vote.

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla had said that any fresh motion seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar would be examined in accordance with parliamentary rules and procedures, amid Opposition protests over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls.

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