NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday questioned the functioning of the Election Commission, saying governments formed during a period when the poll panel was not acting impartially were “unconstitutional”.Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav referred to a report that said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and electoral roll procedures.Yadav said the Election Commission was regarded as an impartial institution and was expected to strengthen democracy. He questioned “on whose behalf” the poll panel was functioning if its own members were raising objections to its decisions.“This is dangerous for our democracy. This is an attempt to weaken our democracy,” he said.
Yadav questions fairness of elections
The SP chief said the Election Commission was a constitutional body and questioned who was “playing with” such an institution for the purpose of remaining in government.“What can you imagine now? Would the Election Commission have been fair? Would it have been impartial?” he asked.Yadav said the reported objections from within the poll panel raised questions about the functioning of an institution whose basic expectation was impartiality.“This means that the governments which have been formed during this period are unconstitutional governments,” he said, alleging that democracy had been “trampled upon”.In an earlier post on X, Yadav described the reported objections by the two Election Commissioners as “extremely serious news”.“It is extremely serious news that in the last 10 months, two Election Commissioners have recorded their objections 14 times to the wrong decisions of the Election Commission,” he said.“Making democracy a victim by becoming puppets of some people in power is a grave constitutional crime. It is no less than a conspiracy to destroy democracy,” Yadav said, urging the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Yadav alleges deletion of SP voters
Yadav also alleged that voters supporting the Samajwadi Party had been “systematically deleted” from electoral rolls and claimed no corrective action was taken after the issue was brought to the Election Commission’s notice.“The Election Commission claims it will strengthen democracy. When such things are happening within the Election Commission itself, where can one place their trust? In the span of 10 months, various officials have written letters 14 times. Samajwadi Party voters were systematically deleted from the Election Commission’s voters list. We brought this to the notice of the Election Commission, but no action was taken against anyone. Rampant malpractice was committed on a massive scale in the by-elections,” Yadav said.The Election Commission, however, said all its decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two other Election Commissioners.Responding to the report, the EC said written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks were standard practices within a multi-member constitutional body. It said all official orders and decisions carried full legal sanction and followed established statutory procedures.The commission said differing views were part of institutional deliberations before a final decision was taken. It also said it had introduced around 40 new initiatives and undertaken electoral reforms, including electoral-roll revision and SIR.
Yadav targets UP government
Yadav also accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of arbitrary governance.“The government is acting arbitrarily. It is dismantling every system. Those who believe in demolition and destruction—whether it comes to the law or the Constitution—simply do not care about anything. This government is trampling upon everyone’s dignity and self-respect,” he said.On Ayodhya, Yadav said the SP had never opposed construction of the Ram Temple but accused the BJP of displacing local residents through demolition drives.“We have never wanted to be an obstacle in the development of the Lord Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, nor will we ever be in the future. We will develop a far better city of Ayodhya than they ever could.
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They are snatching away the rights of the poor,” he said.The Election Commission controversy has also drawn criticism from other Opposition parties, with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi questioning the poll panel and CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged “vote chori”.Opposition parties had earlier moved motions seeking the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.
