"Lost credibility, operates like department of centre": Bhupesh Baghel slams Election Commission

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], October 23 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday lambasted the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that the constitutional body has "lost its credibility".
Responding to reports regarding EC planning to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Chhattisgarh, Baghel said that they should have organised a meeting with all political parties. He claimed that EC was operating like a department of the centre.
"The Election Commission of India Conference on nationwide SIR preparedness is underway. The Election Commission of India has lost its credibility. They should have called a meeting with all the political parties regarding the SIR preparedness. They are doing it for democracy, right? The Election Commission of India has become a department under the central government," Baghel, who is the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, told reporters.
Baghel further hit out at Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai over the latter's "Naxalism will be eradicated by 2026" claim, saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have been making such claims ever since the time of former CM Raman Singh.
"When BJP leader Raman Singh was Chief Minister, he claimed that he would eliminate Naxalism in six months. They have been making the same claim ever since. I would like to ask Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai about the policies he has adopted. Naxalites from Chhattisgarh surrender in Telangana, Maharashtra, or Andhra Pradesh. Why don't they surrender here? If your policies are so good, why do they surrender in other states?" the former CM asked.
His remarks come as the Election Commission initiated its two-day Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) yesterday on nationwide SIR preparedness at India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.
According to a release, the conference was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The Commission assessed the preparedness of offices of the CEOs of all States and UTs for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Conference is being held as a follow-up on the SIR preparedness conference held on September 10, during which all the States/UTs gave detailed presentations on the number of electors, the qualifying date of the last SIR and the Electoral Roll in their respective State/UT as per the last completed SIR.
The Commission assessed the progress made on the directions previously issued to the CEOs to map the current electors with the electors as per the last SIR in the State/UT, according to the release.
The Commission also reviewed the status of appointment and training of DEOs, EROs, AEROs, BLOs and BLAs.On October 6, CEC Gyanesh Kumar informed that the SIR of voter lists will be conducted throughout the country. (ANI)