ITANAGAR, Oct 4: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday defended the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, rejecting allegations by the Congress and other opposition parties as misleading and politically motivated.
Addressing a press briefing here, Arunachal Pradesh BJP spokesperson and MLA Topin Ete, along with state secretary and SIR co-in-charge Joram Tat, said allegations against the ECI should be supported by facts and examined within the constitutional and legal framework governing elections.
Ete said the ECI derives its authority from Article 324 of the Constitution and is mandated to supervise, direct and control elections and oversee the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. He said differences of opinion or technical discussions within a multi-member constitutional body should not be portrayed as evidence of institutional failure.
Defending the SIR exercise, Ete said periodic revision of electoral rolls was necessary to identify discrepancies and maintain accurate voter lists. He said the process could cover cases involving deceased voters, people who had permanently shifted, individuals who could not be traced and entries where enumeration had not been completed.
He maintained that such changes should not automatically be described as deletion of genuine voters and pointed out that eligible citizens whose names are missing from the rolls can seek inclusion through the prescribed legal procedure.
Ete also highlighted the role of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties in the revision process. He said BLAs, along with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), provide political parties with an avenue to scrutinise electoral rolls and raise objections through established procedures.
Responding to allegations of large-scale deletion of genuine voters, Ete said electoral roll figures should be viewed in their proper context rather than used to create confusion among voters.
On allegations that the ECI favoured the BJP, Ete referred to electoral victories by opposition parties and alliances in states including Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand. He questioned the basis of claims that the electoral system was inherently biased in favour of the BJP.
Ete also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for questioning the credibility of the electoral process and said allegations concerning electoral institutions should be backed by credible evidence. Referring to earlier claims regarding EVMs, he said political parties should substantiate allegations of hacking or tampering instead of repeatedly casting doubt on electoral institutions.
He urged the Congress and other opposition parties to introspect over electoral setbacks and engage in constructive political discourse.
The BJP leaders called for a fact-based debate on electoral reforms and urged political parties to use established legal and institutional mechanisms to raise concerns relating to electoral rolls and the election process.