New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday challenged the Congress to explain its electoral defeats while questioning its criticism of the Election Commission and opposition to the special
intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the party of trying to undermine the Constitution and democracy.
In a post on X, Rijiju posed five questions to the opposition party, including why it was reduced to just 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections despite election commissioners having been appointed by its own government.
“How did Congress get only 44 MPs in 2014 Lok Sabha election when Election Commissioners were appointed by their Govt?” he asked.
Referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rijiju questioned how the Congress suffered a third consecutive defeat when Gyanesh Kumar, the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner, was not heading the poll panel.
Kumar was an election commissioner during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, having assumed office on March 15 that year. He became chief election commissioner on February 19, 2025.
Rijiju also asked whether Congress chief ministers currently in office would resign and apologise for forming governments following elections held between 2014 and 2026.
Defending the revision of electoral rolls, Rijiju argued for the removal of names of illegal immigrants, deceased voters, those who had shifted residence and duplicate entries, and questioned whether the Congress opposed such deletions.
He also invoked previous intensive revisions of electoral rolls, asking whether similar exercises conducted in 1952-56, 1958-61, 1965-66, 1983-84, 1987-88, 1993, 1995 and 2002-2004 were illegal.
“One family party with outside forces is trying to destroy the Constitution & Indian Democracy,” the minister alleged.
His remarks come amid an ongoing legal and political confrontation over the SIR exercise and allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on October 26, the Election Commission rejected allegations of unilateral decision-making by the Chief Election Commissioner, asserting that orders concerning SIR were approved unanimously by the three-member poll panel. PTI SBR AMJ
AMJ
