New Delhi, 9 December (H.S.): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive reform in the selection process of election commissioners, raising strong questions over the impartiality of the Election Commission during a discussion on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha.

Participating in the debate, Yadav emphasized that the Election Commission must act fairly and independently, ensuring that those in power do not misuse the administrative machinery. He expressed support for the Congress party’s proposal to reform the appointment process of election commissioners and also backed the demand for restoring paper ballot voting in place of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Referring to a series of recent by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, the former chief minister alleged widespread irregularities and said that “large-scale vote looting” had taken place. “We submitted all necessary evidence to the commission well in time, but no action was taken,” he claimed, while specifically highlighting alleged discrepancies in the Rampur Lok Sabha bypoll.

Yadav also raised objections to the Summary Revision (SAR) process of voter lists, alleging that the government’s “real intent” behind it was to pave the way for a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the issue of “illegal infiltrators” to create fear while preparing for potential detention centres.

The SP leader further flagged concerns over the pressure faced by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the voter list update process, claiming that the system lacked transparency and adequate protection for ground-level officials.

“Even in cases where BLOs have passed away, their names remain listed as active officers. This shows the negligence and inefficiency prevailing in the system,” Yadav added.

Concluding his remarks, Akhilesh Yadav reiterated his party’s commitment to democratic principles, urging Parliament to strengthen institutional independence and restore public trust in the electoral process.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar