BJP: Smear campaign by Opposition, dissent within EC sign of vibrant democracy
Sambit Patra was responding to an Indian Express investigation published on September 23, 2026, which stated that over the past 10 months, Election Commissioners had officially objected at least 14 times to certain decisions and administrative instructions under the SIR process.
Sambit Patra said that this latest tumult is also in line with the Opposition’s move of “attacking the constitutional institutions of the country and finding ways to discredit them”. (File photo) Describing the Opposition attack on the BJP and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gynesh Kumar as a “smear campaign” aimed at “undermining the institutions of the country”, the BJP Wednesday said dissent within the Election Commission were “signs of a vibrant democracy”.
Addressing a press conference after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record, at least 14 times in 10 months, to SIR-related decisions taken without their knowledge and glaring gaps in processes, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said dissent among Election Commissioners only went to underline that no constitutional body was being subjected to dictatorship – a charge levelled by the Opposition – and what finally mattered was that the SIR was “through consensus… an exercise in unanimity”.
“Ever since the Modi government came to power in 2014, Opposition parties have been collapsing one after the other… The Congress party, in particular… Realising that when it (Opposition) cannot win, they are undermining the institutions of the country,” he said.
He said the latest Opposition uproar was in line with its plan of “attacking the constitutional institutions of the country and finding ways to discredit them”.
The 14 correspondences among the Election Commissioners, he said, was a sign of a “healthy democracy” where issues were discussed, notes recorded, and ultimately, a decision taken. “This is democracy in its entirety, where deliberations are taking place.”
Quoting from the Election Commission’s press release issued in response to The Indian Express report, Patra said the EC had made it clear that after all official “democratic” deliberations, the SIR was “ultimately carried out with consensus”.
“In other words, all three Commissioners were in agreement on SIR. There was no difference of opinion, disagreement or divergence of views of any kind,” he said, adding, “By functioning in a democratic manner, constitutional institutions are safeguarding democracy.”
On the Opposition’s allegations of ‘vote chori’, the BJP spokesperson said that poll figures from 2014 to the present have already been shared in past press conferences. “Now, figures from the recent Bengal polls will also be presented,” he said.
He attacked the Opposition claim that it lost in Bengal because voter names were deleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR process. “Another Indian Express article that examined 20 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal that witnessed the highest voter deletions shows that TMC won the most seats here – 13. The Congress won one seat and the BJP only six,” he said.
On the Opposition allegation that Gyanesh Kumar’s appointment as CEC had been “advantageous” to the BJP, Patra said the party had been winning elections by big margins long before Kumar took charge on February 19, 2025.
On the Congress allegation that attempts were being made to protect Gyanesh Kumar, Patra said, “We are not trying to save anybody. We are trying to save democracy. We are trying to demolish the smear campaign against constitutional bodies.”
He also gave instances of the BJP forming several governments at the state level between 2014 and Kumar’s appointment as CEC, and took on the Congress over alleged irregularities in relation to the Election Commission during its tenure.
“Irregulaties and scams originated from the Congress itself… KVK Sundaram served as Election Commissioner from 1958 to 1967. He was made Chairman of the Law Commission and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Nagendra Singh served as Election Commissioner from 1972 to 1973 and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan,” Patra said.
WATCH | Sukhbir Singh Sandhu & Vivek Joshi: Who Are The 2 ECs Who Objected To SIR?
“R K Trivedi served as Election Commissioner from 1982 to 1985. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan and was also appointed Governor… T N Seshan served as Election Commissioner and CEC from 1990 to 1996… he contested an election on behalf of the Congress… Seshan had used terms such as ‘donkeys’ and ‘rascals’ to describe fellow commissioners appointed alongside him,” he said.
Patra also cited the examples of M S Gill who served as Election Commissioner and CEC from 1996 to 2001 and later became a Congress Rajya Sabha member and a Minister; J M Lyngdoh who served as CEC from 2001 to 2004; and Navin Chawla.
“What position did Sonia Gandhi hold when she appointed Navin Chawla as an Election Commissioner? This was in 2005. In 2009, the then CEC N Gopalaswami wrote a letter to the then President Pratibha Patil stating that Navin Chawla should be removed from the post,” he said, adding that Chawla was, however, elevated as CEC.
“Overall, it must be decided whether democracy is reflected when three officials exchange correspondence, share their respective views and concerns, and ultimately arrive at a conclusion through consensus, or whether democracy consists of writing letters in the same language and then arriving at the same conclusion. There could be no better time for democracy than the present,” Patra said.
He pointed out that the Supreme Court, on May 27, 2026, directly upheld the legal validity of the SIR. “But if there is no trust in the Supreme Court, no trust in the Election Commission, and no trust in EVMs, then one must place trust in the people. It is the people who cast their votes, and it is the people who decide whether a party wins or loses,” he said.
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