Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 25 (ANI): BJP Himachal Pradesh Chief Spokesperson and MLA Rakesh Jamwal criticised the Congress protest outside the Election Department office in Shimla over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission.
According to a release, he said political parties have every democratic right to protest peacefully and question electoral processes, but alleged defacement of the Election Department premises with slogans such as “Vote Chor” raises serious questions about the manner in which the protest was conducted.
Defacing Election Department premises with ‘Vote Chor’ slogans raises serious questions about Congress’s conduct while in power, Rakesh Jamwal said.
Jamwal said, “Congress is the ruling party in Himachal Pradesh. It must explain what message it seeks to convey when its workers allegedly deface the premises of the state Election Department. Political disagreement cannot become a justification for violating rules or damaging public property.”
He said the state administration should ascertain the facts surrounding the incident and, if any law or rule governing public property was violated, take action strictly in accordance with law, irrespective of the political affiliation of those involved.
Referring to the controversy surrounding SIR, Jamwal said the Election Commission has stated that the objective of electoral-roll revision is to ensure that eligible citizens are included while ineligible entries are excluded. The Commission exercises its electoral-roll responsibilities under Article 324 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the applicable registration rules.
“If Congress believes that an eligible voter has been wrongly excluded, or that there is a specific procedural deficiency, it should produce the relevant evidence and use the prescribed claims, objections and appellate mechanisms. Concrete objections should be answered with concrete facts,” Jamwal said.
He added that the Election Commission provides formal mechanisms for voter enrolment, correction of electoral-roll entries, objections and appeals against decisions of electoral registration authorities, the release said.
Jamwal said the Shimla demonstration was part of a wider Congress campaign over the Election Commission and SIR.
Congress units in multiple states also staged agitations over the issue, including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur. They demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Referring to the BJP’s position at the national level, Jamwal said BJP leaders have argued that differences and deliberations within the Election Commission should be viewed as part of an institutional decision-making process.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra had stated that deliberations among Election Commissioners were a feature of democratic institutional functioning and referred to the Commission’s position that the final SIR-related decision was taken with the agreement of all three Commissioners.
“The fundamental principle should be clear: every eligible citizen must have the opportunity to be enrolled as a voter, while duplicate or otherwise ineligible entries should be dealt with in accordance with law. If Congress has evidence of irregularities, it should place that evidence before the competent authority rather than substituting slogans for the statutory process,” Jamwal said.
He further asked the Congress government to clarify whether the administration had taken cognisance of the slogans allegedly written on the Election Department premises during the protest.
“Governments and political parties change, but respect for constitutional institutions and the rule of law must remain consistent. Political disagreement is legitimate; accountability must also apply equally to everyone,” Jamwal said. (ANI)
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