The political dispute over the Election Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified on Sunday after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju challenged Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s assertion that the country was witnessing “illegal elections”.
Kharge had questioned the legitimacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, describing them as “illegal” leaders. He also called for the dissolution of governments and fresh elections through ballot papers, while accusing the government of undermining democracy through the SIR exercise.
Rijiju responded on X by questioning whether Kharge’s argument would also make elected representatives and governments led by the Congress and its allies “illegal”.
“Are you an illegal MP, Kharge ji? Is Rahul Gandhi ji an illegal MP? Are Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand illegal? Stop insulting the Constitution of India,” Rijiju said.
The exchange came as the SIR and the functioning of the poll panel remained at the centre of a wider political dispute. An investigation by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and September 2026 over decisions and processes of the Election Commission. The reported concerns included voter registration and deletion, Form 6, electoral-roll access and technology systems.
The Election Commission disputed suggestions of an institutional rift. It said differing views and administrative suggestions formed part of its decision-making process and maintained that decisions, including those related to the SIR schedule, were unanimous.
The Opposition has continued its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the poll panel over the electoral-roll revision. Opposition parties have announced protests, including a coordinated demonstration on October 6 and a larger rally in New Delhi on November 1.
The political mobilisation also extended to Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray jointly led a protest march towards the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters on Sunday. The demonstration focused on the SIR exercise, electoral-roll issues and demands concerning the Election Commission.
The latest exchange between Rijiju and Kharge has added to the ongoing political confrontation over the poll panel and the revision of electoral rolls, with the government defending the electoral process and opposition parties continuing to raise questions over the ECI’s functioning.
