‘Truth has come to light’: BJP after EC clarifies ‘no rift’ over electoral roll revision

BJP MP Sambit Patra criticises opposition for alleging BJP-ECI ‘collusion’ (File photo)

NEW DELHI: The ruling BJP on Saturday said that the Election Commission of India‘s (ECI) statement on the SIR row has “clearly established” that the decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was taken with the full consensus of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the two election commissioners.Also Read | SIR row: EC says final decisions unanimous, clarifies officer’s role, voter inclusion process“In the recent months, the Commission has taken numerous decisions including SIR across the country. The order for the SIR issued on 24.6.2025 for all the States/UTs, starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 other States/UTs was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The same has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India vide its order dated 27.5.2026. The schedule for SIR for 12 States and UTs was issued on 27.10.2025 and those for 19 States/UTs was issued on 14.05.2026 with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The final figure of number of electors will be known only after final publication in the remaining 12 states of Phase-III,” the poll panel’s statement read.The ECI response and Patra’s subsequent remarks came amid a political row over the SIR exercise following an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the roll revision process.“ECI’s letter has now clearly established that the SIR was conducted with the signatures and full consensus of all three commissioners… The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the SIR… The public statement issued today by the Election Commission contains a photograph on its final page showing all three commissioners sitting together. Regarding the attacks that were being made on the Election Commission, the truth has clearly come to light today,” BJP MP Sambit Patra told news agency ANI.Patra also criticised the Congress-led opposition for alleging “collusion” between the BJP and the ECI.“Various opposition parties and the Congress Party in particular launched an aggressive attack on the Election Commission of India and the BJP. They alleged collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP, claiming that India’s democracy was being compromised. The manner in which the Congress Party has attempted to launch an attack clearly demonstrates a lack of maturity within the party, as well as a nefarious design to undermine the Constitution,” the Puri MP added.Patra further accused the Congress of repeatedly targeting constitutional and other institutions, alleging that the party had questioned the credibility of various bodies since 2014.“Looking at the history of the Congress party since 2014, there is not a single institution that the party has not attacked. No other political party in India has attacked the Indian Army. But the Congress party and some of its allied ‘satellite’ parties have indeed attacked the Indian Army.”Opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Left parties, have intensified their criticism of the ECI, raising concerns over electoral transparency and demanding accountability.

Congress units in several states, including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur, also staged protests over the issue.The Election Commission, meanwhile, has maintained that internal technical notes and written queries are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member body. It has also asserted that all final decisions related to the SIR process were taken unanimously and had the approval of all three commissioners.The Congress has indicated that opposition parties may move a fresh impeachment motion against CEC Kumar in Parliament. The issue is expected to come up at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi.