A day after members of the ruling BJP-led NDA on Friday said CEC Gyanesh Kumar must “dispel misgivings in the minds of the people” and the EC must issue a clarification on internal differences over SIR, the poll panel issued a statement on Saturday announcing a slew of decisions ranging from BLOs home visit for “unmapped” voters, Form 6, and a review of the ECINet portal. Following this, the NDA constituents rallied behind the poll panel, saying the statement has addressed the concerns they had raised.

Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu sought to underline that the “unanimous clarification issued by the Election Commission” reaffirms the “integrity and credibility of our constitutional institutions and puts to rest all the misconceptions surrounding it.” “The decisions concerning the SIR are taken collectively and in strict adherence to established institutional protocols. Attempts to undermine global confidence in India’s democratic framework or electoral processes for short-term political gains are deeply unfortunate” he said on X. “It is collective responsibility of leaders across party lines to uphold public confidence in India’s democratic process” he said.

On Friday, TDP’s LS floor leader, Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu, said SIR was “conducted in a transparent manner” in Andhra Pradesh, but added, “At the same time, the Election Co­mmission is a constitutional institution entrusted with a crucial responsibility in our democracy. Therefore, whenever questions are raised by anyone, providing appropriate clarification and maintaining transparency will only help strengthen public confidence in the institution.”

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

Union Minister and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan, who said Friday that “it is problematic if people begin to doubt the electoral process itself. EC needs to present its stance, not to Rahul Gandhi, but to the public … it must dispel misgivings in the minds of people”, on Saturday said that the Election Commission has “clarified its position on all key issues, point by point. Facts regarding the SIR process, the unanimity among the three Commissioners, and the meeting with the Cabinet Secretary have also been clearly presented. This clarity further strengthens public trust in democracy.”

Accusing the Opposition of spreading “false notion” that there was no consensus within the poll panel over SIR, JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha said the EC’s statement had proved that “misconceptions being spread regarding constitutional bodies are baseless”. “Dissemination of misinformation against a key constitutional body like the Election Commission is unfortunate, and the Opposition ought to apologise to the nation for it,” he said.

On Friday, JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad asked why the Opposition had not filed any official complaint “if the allegations are true”. “EC has explained its position. We are not going into what and wherefore of it,” he had said, adding, “RJD was aware it was going to be defeated. They kept trying to blame the EC repeatedly. But the EC sought a clarification when allegations of irregularities in the SIR were raised, and submitted that if there are so many accusations, why is there no official complaint.”

In a post on X Saturday, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha said, “Yesterday, there was an expectation of clarification from the EC to dispel the confusion arising in the public’s mind regarding the SIR controversy. Now, matters have come forward from the EC’s side with utmost clarity. For this, I express heartfelt thanks to the Commission. At the same time, I appeal to general public to remain cautious of those spreading falsehoods.”

Story continues below this ad

On Friday, he told that “the EC must clarify its position … it must clarify the questions being raised and concerns being flagged.”

JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, however, said, “What’s going on inside EC — the difference… what we are watching in media and what is real fact — need to be spelled out by these members.”