Agartala, Sep 28 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday accused the opposition parties of trying to divert public attention from the development works of the state government by making what he termed “baseless” allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Talking to the media here at the State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters, CM Saha said that differences of opinion could exist within a constitutional body and were part of a healthy democratic process, but decisions of the Election Commission were ultimately taken by the Commission as a whole.
His remarks came in the backdrop of the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and reports of differences among the three members of the poll panel.
“The ECI on September 26 held a meeting attended by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi and subsequently issued a detailed clarification on the SIR exercise and related issues,” the Chief Minister added.
He said that the poll panel said decisions concerning the SIR were taken unanimously.
Chief Minister Saha added that the SIR was aimed at maintaining accurate and reliable electoral rolls and pointed to the legal provisions under which the ECI exercises its powers relating to electoral-roll revision.
The Supreme Court, in its judgment on the Bihar SIR, upheld the ECI’s power to conduct the exercise under Article 324 of the Constitution read with Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, saying that the voter revision was linked to ensuring the integrity and accuracy of electoral rolls and free and fair elections.
The Chief Minister also referred to Form 6, used for enrolment of new voters, and said the related declaration required during the SIR process had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The ECI, in its September 26 clarification, said the additional declaration was specific to the SIR exercise, while the regular statutory Form 6 would continue to be used otherwise.
Coming down heavily on the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties, CM Saha alleged that spreading misinformation and maligning constitutional institutions had become a practice of the Opposition.
“The opposition parties are attempting to create a situation in the country that has no basis in reality. Their only objective is to mislead the public and divert attention away from ongoing development work, away from their own failures, and away from their acts of betrayal against the nation, towards the artificial crisis they have manufactured,” he said.
Citing the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, CM Saha said that among the 20 constituencies that recorded the highest number of voter deletions after the SIR process, the Trinamool Congress won maximum number of seats.
“We are not talking in favour of the ECI. We are only highlighting the facts of the election process and SIR,” he added.
He also referred to the Kerala Assembly elections held after Gyanesh Kumar took charge as CEC on February 19, 2025.
According to the ECI’s final results, the Congress led United Democratic Front won 97 of the 140 Assembly seats and formed the government in the state.
Chief Minister Saha said that several Assembly and Lok Sabha elections had been held since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014 and alleged that the BJP had won elections on the basis of its performance.
He also accused several opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI-M and Trinamool Congress, of targeting the ECI after electoral setbacks.
The Chief Minister added that the ECI’s role was not limited to conducting elections but also included ensuring that the electoral process remained constitutionally valid and transparent.
Chief Minister Saha also criticized Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, referring to the latter’s earlier criticism of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and his comments concerning constitutional institutions and the Judiciary while abroad.
He alleged that Rahul Gandhi had also made “baseless” allegations concerning Rafale fighter aircraft and raised questions over India’s surgical strikes and other defence operations against Pakistan and other security threats.
The Chief Minister said that political parties should focus on facts and democratic institutions instead of creating what he described as “artificial controversies” around the country’s electoral process.
–IANS
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