New Delhi: Amidst the opposition’s demand for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, several parties of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have also asked the CEC to “issue a clarification” and “defend himself” after The Indian Express published a two-part investigative this week reporting that two Election Commissioners (ECs), Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, raised at least 14 formal objections over ten months and that 97 voters in Goa successfully challenged their deletion from the draft electoral roll during the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process with the state election commission, but the commission’s software systems still failed to include them in the final electoral roll.Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJP (Ram Vilas)) leader Chirag Paswan on Friday (September 25) told Hindustan Times (HT’s) Sunetra Choudhury in an interview that “one after the other, if the fingers are raising against Election Commission, it is the responsibility of the Election Commission itself to defend themselves.”Also read: Inside the ECI: Two Commissioners, 14 Objections, and No Answers“I, as a political party, cannot defend an independent constitutional body. I don’t have that right, I don’t have those permissions. I don’t have that access, to the internal agreements, disagreements,” Paswan said.He added, “This is only known by the Chief Election Commissioner, and if the fingers are being pointed, then he should defend himself. He should defend the whole Election Commission. And my biggest concern is that not even an iota of suspicion should come in a normal citizen’s mind concerning the whole election process, because this is the beauty of democracy.”Further, Paswan also underlined that if opposition is having concerns today then tomorrow he “might be having issues with the Election Commission’s working because it is an independent constitutional body”. “We are all equal, when we are talking to the Election Commission.”Interestingly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra in a press conference on Wednesday (September 23) defended the poll body and the CEC. Patra claimed that whether the ECs simply agree to everything, or have “correspondence” and “deliberations,” as reported by the media, the Congress calls it “dictatorship” while he asserted that it was a sign of “pure democracy”.Also read: Questions May Be About Gyanesh, But the Question Mark Is on Modi’s Democratic LegitimacyLike Paswan, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu underlined that as the ECI is a constitutional body providing “appropriate clarification and maintaining transparency” will only help strengthen public confidence in it.“The Election Commission of India is a constitutional institution entrusted with a crucial responsibility in our democracy. Therefore, whenever questions are raised by anyone, providing appropriate clarification and maintaining transparency will only help strengthen public confidence in the institution,” Devarayalu told Deccan Herald.United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam, demanded that a parliamentary committee should be formed to investigate the allegations.“A parliamentary committee comprising members from all parties should investigate the matter and restore faith in the Election Commission of India,” United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) general secretary Raju Kumar Narzary told DH.Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha has also called for the EC to issue a clarification on the issue.“A great deal of confusion has arisen among the public regarding the controversy related to EVMs. The matter needs to be addressed. To dispel the confusion, the Election Commission should immediately issue a clarification on the correct position,” Kushwaha wrote on X.For our full coverage on the SIR and the issues it has brought to citizens, click here.