Democracy can't be held hostage to opposition's comfort, SIR necessary for fair polls: Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday accused the Congress and its allies of selectively questioning the Election Commission's credibility, asserting that the integrity of India's democracy could not be held hostage to the political convenience of Opposition parties. Defending the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, she said free and fair elections required accurate voter lists, transparent procedures and strong democratic institutions.

Her remarks came amid intensified protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, marching towards the Supreme Court to press for his removal over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the electoral roll revision exercise.

Gupta referred to an open letter signed by 124 former civil servants and diplomats defending the institutional integrity of the Election Commission and questioning the Opposition's criticism of the electoral process.

𝗖𝗠 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱

"The credibility of India's democracy cannot be held hostage to the political convenience of opposition parties," Gupta said, accusing the Congress and its allies of adopting inconsistent positions on the Election Commission depending on electoral outcomes.

"Congress and its allies cannot question the Election Commission every time the verdict goes against them and invoke democracy only when it suits their politics," she said.

The chief minister maintained that democratic institutions must be respected irrespective of which political party wins or loses an election. She argued that criticism of the Election Commission should not be driven by electoral setbacks or partisan considerations.

"Respect for democracy cannot be selective. Neither can respect for its institutions," Gupta asserted.

Her comments came as the Opposition stepped up its campaign against Kumar, alleging that the SIR exercise had resulted in the removal of eligible voters from electoral rolls.

𝗦𝗜𝗥 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆

The controversy has intensified as the Special Intensive Revision continues in Delhi, where more than 47 lakh names have been removed from the draft electoral rolls covering the capital's 70 Assembly constituencies.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have alleged that the revision process has led to widespread deletions and irregularities, raising concerns about the possible exclusion of eligible voters.

The INDIA bloc has demanded Kumar's resignation and sought judicial intervention over the procedures adopted during the exercise. Opposition leaders have argued that the integrity of electoral rolls must be protected through transparent verification and adequate safeguards against wrongful deletions.

The Election Commission's revision exercise is intended to update voter lists by verifying entries and addressing discrepancies. However, the scale of deletions and the methods adopted have become subjects of political controversy and legal scrutiny.

Gupta defended the exercise, maintaining that accurate electoral rolls were essential to ensuring free and fair elections and that the credibility of constitutional institutions should not be undermined through politically motivated allegations.

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗘𝗖

The chief minister's remarks followed an open letter signed by 124 retired officers from the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and allied services, who defended the Election Commission's institutional integrity and supported the need for accurate electoral rolls.

The signatories included former secretaries to the Government of India, ambassadors, directors general of police, state chief secretaries and senior income tax officials.

In their letter, the former officers questioned what they described as inconsistent criticism of the electoral system by political parties.

"A system cannot be honest when you win and rigged when you lose," they said.

The signatories pointed out that the BJP had suffered electoral defeats in several states under the same Election Commission, including Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

They also referred to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP lost its parliamentary majority and subsequently formed the government with the support of its allies.

"The winners raised no complaint. A system cannot be honest when you win and rigged when you lose," the former officers stated.

Their argument was that electoral outcomes had demonstrated that the Election Commission could not be presumed to favour a particular party solely on the basis of allegations made by political opponents.

𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀

The political exchange coincided with the Opposition's "March for Democracy" towards the Supreme Court, where leaders sought to raise concerns about alleged electoral irregularities and demand action against the Chief Election Commissioner.

Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders have accused the Election Commission of failing to prevent the removal of eligible voters' names during the revision process. The allegations have become a central issue in the Opposition's campaign for greater scrutiny of electoral procedures.

Gupta's intervention reflected the BJP's defence of the Election Commission against these accusations, with the chief minister maintaining that institutional credibility should not be judged according to the electoral fortunes of individual political parties.

The dispute has brought renewed attention to the procedures governing voter registration, deletion and verification, particularly the safeguards available to citizens whose names are excluded from draft electoral rolls.

While the Opposition continues to question the conduct of the SIR exercise, Gupta and the former civil servants have emphasised the need to preserve public confidence in the Election Commission and the electoral process.