Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha defended the Election Commission on September 24. He dismissed opposition demands to sack Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The conflict stems from a reported internal rift regarding the nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected to administrative moves regarding the revision process. Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury quickly leveraged these reports to call for Kumar to step down. Chaudhury claimed Kumar favors the ruling BJP and ignores his colleagues. He argued that impartial elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, remain impossible under Kumar's leadership. "We have been vocal against the role of CEC Gyanesh Kumar right from the beginning because of his alleged proximity to the ruling dispensation. The media has ultimately exposed the CEC, which is dangerous for democracy," Chaudhury stated in a post online.
Saha rejected the outcry. He accused political opponents of weaponizing internal administrative friction to stir public distrust. The Chief Minister insisted that India's democratic foundation remains solid regardless of internal debates among the three commissioners. "As if the opposition parties have gained Mritasanjivani mantra... The foundation of democracy is strong in our country. There may be differences of opinion among the three-member Election Commission, but ultimately there was a decision to undertake SIR to clean the electoral rolls," Saha told reporters. The Election Commission maintains all decisions followed proper internal protocols.
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