Keralam CM Satheesan calls for protecting Election Commission's independence
Keralam CM V.D. Satheesan said the independence and transparency of the Election Commission must be preserved amid allegations over the SIR process.
Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Thursday said the independence, transparency and institutional safeguards of the Election Commission must be preserved so that every voter retains full confidence in the integrity of India's electoral process.
In a post on X, Mr. Satheesan stressed the need to protect the poll body's functioning amid allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
"It is important to preserve the independence, transparency, and institutional safeguards of the Election Commission, and to ensure that every voter can have full confidence in the integrity of India's electoral process," he said.
The Chief Minister also shared a post by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who described vote theft as a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on the Constitution.
Mr. Satheesan's remarks come in the wake of reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi flagged multiple issues, including the deletion of names, in various states during the voter roll cleanup carried out under the SIR.
Election Commission officials, however, have maintained that the poll body was unanimous in its decisions relating to the pan-India Special Intensive Revision of the voters' list.