Guwahati, Sep 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday defended Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar amid criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
He said the poll panel functions as a collective body and the CEC cannot make decisions unilaterally.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma said ECI decisions must be based on consensus or the majority view of its members.
“In my humble view, the Election Commission cannot take any decision when the Chief Election Commissioner or any other Election Commissioner is in the minority. Every decision has to be passed or taken by a majority because it is a collective body,” he stated.
He added that internal discussions among commissioners were separate matters, but once the Commission took a decision, it had to reflect its collective position.
“Sending a message across the country that the Chief Election Commissioner has taken a decision unilaterally does not fit into the constitutional scheme,” Sarma remarked.
The Chief Minister dismissed criticism directed specifically at Kumar, saying that targeting the CEC amounted to a political campaign by the Opposition.
He alleged that the criticism reflected the Opposition’s “frustration” and even used the term “Dimagi Naxals” for some of the critics.
The remarks come amid a wider controversy surrounding the functioning of the poll panel and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Reports have raised questions about differences among Commission members over certain electoral-roll-related decisions.
According to the Commission's official directory, the ECI is currently a three-member body comprising CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Sarma maintained that portraying the CEC as making decisions independently was inconsistent with how the constitutional poll panel functions.
The Election Commission administers elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President.
Source: IANS
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