India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
The INDIA bloc seems to have found another issue on which its disparate Opposition allies could find a common position – the row over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
With the Opposition parties set to hold consultations in New Delhi on September 30, leaders of INDIA bloc parties have been reaching out to each other on the issue.
INDIA bloc parties are focusing on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as a unifying issue, with consultations planned for September 30 to discuss joint political and parliamentary actions.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been in touch with Congress leaders, while TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has held talks with Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The Election Commission issue has also facilitated an unusual outreach between political adversaries in West Bengal.
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby has been in touch with Opposition leaders and has also spoken to Mamata Banerjee about co-ordinated action.
The Opposition has been seeking issues on which it could take a stand against the government and the Election Commission. The row over Gyanesh Kumar and the Electoral Roll Revision seems to have provided such an issue.
Mamata, Rahul Gandhi in talks
Mamata Banerjee’s talks with Congress leaders were reportedly about Gyanesh Kumar and the Electoral Roll Revisions, sources said.
Abhishek Banerjee also met Rahul Gandhi this week. The meeting, sources said, was also about allegations of malpractice in the elections and the Opposition’s stand on the Election Commission.
The September 30 INDIA bloc meeting, where senior leaders of INDIA bloc parties are expected to discuss the Election Commission issue, including the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the functioning of the Election Commission and the Opposition’s position on Gyanesh Kumar, is likely to be an important event.
TMC and Left find common ground
One of the most significant developments relates to the Opposition parties in West Bengal.
The TMC and the Left – political adversaries – have been discussing the Election Commission issue, where both have serious objections.
The CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation have demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be removed as Chief Election Commissioner and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) be stopped immediately.
It appears that the Congress has been criticizing Gyanesh Kumar as well. The Opposition’s position seems to have gained strength with the reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have raised several objections to the proposals relating to the SIR.
According to the Indian Express, the two Election Commissioners reportedly sent letters to their colleagues expressing strong objections to several decisions during the last 10 months.
The Election Commission has denied that there was any sort of internal rift and said that the objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi were part of healthy differences of opinion among Election Commissioners.
Joint action on the cards
The INDIA bloc’s September 30 meeting, which is likely to be used to take a joint position on the Election Commission issue, is proving to be significant.
Parties are reportedly discussing a joint political and parliamentary action against the Election Commission. A joint Opposition press release is also being planned.
The INDIA bloc parties want to take up the issue of Gyanesh Kumar in the Lok Sabha. They are also considering a joint motion of censure against him.
If passed, it will be the third such motion moved by the Opposition. Earlier, two motions moved by the Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena-Bhartiya Shakti Sangathan were defeated.
The Election Commission issue has united a number of Opposition parties. In fact, 23 political parties – along with an Independent Member of Parliament – have written to the Chief Justice of India about the SIR and other issues.
BJP takes aim at Mamata
The Opposition’s unity on the Election Commission issue has not gone down well with the BJP. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh ridiculed Mamata Banerjee for trying to bring Opposition parties together and questioned her motives.
For the INDIA bloc, the Election Commission issue has been a blessing. The row over Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR has enabled the bloc’s disparate parties – which do not always see eye to eye on issues relating to governance – to develop a common position on a matter concerning the very institution that oversees elections in India. It remains to be seen if the unity will last – it will depend on what the INDIA bloc’s leaders discuss at their September 30 meeting.
