Voter Roll Controversy Erupts: Tejashwi Demands Repolls Amidst ECI-SIR Rift

A major political storm has erupted in India as Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has called for fresh elections in key states like Bihar and West Bengal, alleging widespread manipulation of polls. His demands come in the wake of explosive reports revealing an internal 'rift' within the Election Commission of India (ECI) concerning its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, with two Election Commissioners reportedly flagging numerous issues over the past 10 months. Yadav contends that the opposition's losses in recent Assembly elections were not genuine defeats but rather the result of a compromised electoral process. The controversy intensified after reports from 'The Indian Express' detailed how Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi allegedly raised objections at least 14 times to decisions related to the SIR, including voter deletions and registration, some reportedly without their knowledge. Tejashwi Yadav further accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of undermining the institution and highlighted concerns over changes in the CEC selection process and a reduced retention period for election records, which he claims hinders legal challenges. This has drawn sharp reactions from other opposition leaders, with some demanding the arrest of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and a court-monitored probe into the SIR process, while the BJP maintains that ECI decisions were unanimous and democratic. As the ECI firmly denies any internal differences, stating all SIR-related decisions were unanimous, the political temperature is set to soar. Opposition parties are pushing for the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter, with demands for an immediate halt to the SIR exercise and even the impeachment of the CEC. The ongoing accusations of 'vote chori' and institutional subversion will likely dominate political discourse, putting immense pressure on the Election Commission to demonstrate transparency and uphold electoral integrity ahead of upcoming polls.