New Delhi, Dec 10 Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday sharply criticised the system of appointing Election Commissioners, arguing that the current mechanism leaves no real space for independent decision-making by the Leader of Opposition and results in “no balance of power” within the selection committee.
Speaking during the Lok Sabha discussion on the Sample Verification of Electoral Rolls (SIR) process, Chaturvedi pointed to the composition of the high-level committee entrusted with appointments to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“If you look at the process of appointing the Election Commission, there were four people in the process -- Leader of Opposition, Cabinet Minister, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India. Chief Justice of India was removed...,” she said.
Chaturvedi argued that the current law ensures the Leader of Opposition is always outvoted: “LOP will always be in the minority. So even if he refuses to appoint an Election Commissioner, he will be overruled by two people from the same side. So it is important for the people to have clarity about who is being appointed… Only the government decides that. There is no balance of power.”
Her remarks came as the Lok Sabha initiated a detailed discussion on the SIR process being carried out by the Election Commission in 12 states and union territories -- an exercise heavily criticised by the opposition, which has repeatedly questioned its legal basis and transparency.
Earlier in the day, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the Home Minister would address the House at 5 p.m. on the ongoing SIR exercise.
Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday raised concerns about the use of public resources ahead of elections, warning that practices such as targeted cash transfers risk distorting democratic outcomes. “You cannot win elections at the cost of the national exchequer or the state exchequer. This will bankrupt our democracy, our country,” he said.
Tewari asserted that the ECI has “no legal basis to conduct SIR” and demanded greater transparency, including the provision of machine-readable voter lists to political parties. He also presented three demands: amending the law governing the selection of Election Commissioners, including the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha in the selection panel, and imposing a blanket ban on direct cash transfers before elections, calling such measures “against democracy”.
The SIR debate is expected to intensify further as the government and opposition continue to clash over questions of electoral integrity, institutional independence, and accountability.
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