"Issue has spilt onto streets": RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha amid Congress' move to impeach CEC

New Delhi [India], September 25 : RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha on Friday said the controversy surrounding the Election Commission has now moved beyond the political arena and Parliament, amid the Congress-led Opposition's reported move to initiate impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“This matter is no longer just about the ruling and opposition parties or the Parliament; it has now become an issue that has spilt onto the streets. People are wondering what is happening to them and to their votes. And when an issue takes such a turn, options open up on a much larger scale,” Jha told ANI.
The remarks come amid the continuing political confrontation over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and allegations by opposition parties concerning electoral rolls and the functioning of the poll panel.
The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions relating to the electoral process are taken in accordance with the law. Its official website currently lists SIR-2026 services, including access to electoral-roll information and facilities for voters to search their names.
Jha's remarks came amid an escalating political row over the SIR exercise triggered by an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi - had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding procedures, database changes, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections indicate a breakdown or institutional dissent within the poll panel. It said differing views, observations and internal checks are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body, while maintaining that final decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously.
The ECI has also defended the functioning of its ECINet platform, saying it is a decentralised system designed under the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, with statutory functions carried out by designated election officials through secure credentials.
Earlier, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari stepped up the party’s criticism of the BJP and the Election Commission over the SIR row, alleging that the ruling party was defending the poll panel.
Responding to a question on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks urging CEC Gyanesh Kumar to become a “government witness”, Tiwari accused the BJP of shielding the Election Commission.
“The BJP is defending the Election Commission shamelessly,” Tiwari said, alleging that the interests of the BJP and the poll panel had become intertwined.
Tiwari also accused the BJP and the Election Commission of undermining democratic institutions, while referring to allegations raised by Gandhi over electoral rolls and what he has described as “Vote Chori”.