Manoj Kumar Jha warns of public unrest over Election Commission row

The political confrontation centers on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and the integrity of voter rolls. Tensions escalated following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded 14 formal objections over ten months regarding database procedures and revision processes. While the Opposition claims these internal dissentions signal institutional failure, the Commission maintains that such observations are standard for a multi-member constitutional body and that all final decisions were reached unanimously.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari intensified the pressure, accusing the BJP of shielding the poll panel to protect mutual interests. Tiwari specifically echoed Rahul Gandhi’s recent calls for the Chief Election Commissioner to turn “government witness,” framing the current electoral controversies as a systematic attempt to undermine democratic processes. The Commission continues to defend the ECINet platform, asserting that its operations remain strictly aligned with the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951.