NDA rift deepens: Union Min Kumaraswamy seeks Gyanesh Kumar's answers

New Delhi: Pressure on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is mounting, with another NDA ally demanding answers over the reported rift within the Election Commission amid the controversy surrounding the intensive revision of electoral rolls.

Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy has called on the members of the poll panel to publicly explain their differences and clarify what is happening inside the three-member constitutional body. His intervention comes after the TDP, LJP and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), all NDA allies, also sought an explanation from Kumar over issues reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

Kumaraswamy said the issue goes beyond the demands of individual political parties, arguing that the Election Commission itself has a responsibility to clear the uncertainty surrounding its functioning. He questioned what had happened within the institution and called for the members to make their positions known publicly.

LJP leader and Union Minister Chirag Paswan has similarly said that while the commission need not respond to opposition leaders politically, it should explain its internal differences to the public. RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha said the controversy had created confusion among people and urged the commission to disclose what had actually transpired.

TDP leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu also stressed the Election Commission’s constitutional significance.

The public interventions by multiple NDA allies have added to the political pressure surrounding Kumar, even as senior BJP and RSS leaders, including cabinet ministers, have largely remained publicly silent on the controversy. Opposition parties have meanwhile intensified their demands for his resignation.