NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule calls crackdown on protesters ‘cowardly’, seeks data on voter deletions in Maharashtra

Nationalist Congress Party NCP SP MP Supriya Sule has criticised the governments crackdown on people heading to Delhi for a peaceful protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar describing the action as ldquocowardlyrdquo and calling for comprehensive electoral reforms to ensure free and fair elections reported the PTISpeaking at a news channels conclave on Saturday Sule said the authorities should have engaged with the protesters through dialogue instead of imposing restrictions She also questioned the decline in voter numbers in Maharashtras Khadakwasla Assembly constituency and Baramati Lok Sabha constituency demanding access to official data to examine the changesSule calls crackdown on protesters lsquocowardlyrsquoCondemning the action against people travelling to Delhi for the agitation Sule said the demonstration was peaceful and could have been handled through dialogueldquoI condemn this act because it was a very peaceful agitation They were going to participate in Delhi and I personally feel it is a strong word but it is cowardly of any government to do thatrdquo she said according to the PTIResponding to arguments that the government had a responsibility to maintain law and order and prevent untoward incidents the NCP SP working president said the authorities could have addressed the concerns through discussionsSule seeks data on voter numbers in KhadakwaslaSule called for serious electoral reforms stressing that the objective should be to ensure that election results reflect the choice of voters irrespective of which party winsldquoWe need very serious electoral reforms in this country Its not about us winning or losing Whoever wins should be the person that the Indian voter wants to lead this nationrdquo she said as per the PTICiting Khadakwasla Assembly constituency in Pune district Sule questioned the reported decline in voter numbers following the Special Intensive Revision SIR exerciseAccording to Sule the constituency had around 55 lakh voters during the Lok Sabha elections but the number subsequently fell to around 31 lakh and had reportedly declined further to about 25 lakh after the SIR exerciseldquoThree lakh voters are gone I dont know where they are Im not saying that they disappeared There may be a scientific reason for it Give me the data Lets correlate itrdquo she said the news agency reportedThe Baramati MP also raised concerns over the decline in voter numbers in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency calling for official data to enable a detailed examinationSule stressed that the changes should be assessed transparently using verified information rather than being reduced to political argumentsOpposition ready to discuss electoral reforms SuleSule said Opposition parties were willing to participate in discussions and legislative proceedings to address concerns over the electoral process She questioned why the BJP was not reaching out to other parties to discuss the proposed reformsShe also said the Opposition would accept an electoral outcome in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to power provided the election was conducted freely and fairly following the necessary reforms according to the PTIHer remarks centred on the need to strengthen democratic institutions and ensure that citizens had confidence in the electoral processFuture of INDIA bloc will unfold with timeAsked about the future of the INDIA bloc and whether the Congress would emerge as the senior partner in theOpposition alliance Sule said it was too early to predict how political equations would developldquoHow it will unfold only time will tellrdquo she saidOn the possibility of her father and NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar returning to the Congress Sule said she could not speak on his behalfldquoYou know my father as well as I do Hes a man of very very few words and thats why hes lasted in politics for six decades because he talks very littlerdquo she said the news agency reportedSule also expressed concern over what she described as an atmosphere of fear in the country She questioned the outcomes of investigations conducted by central agencies including the Enforcement Directorate ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation CBIShe reiterated the need to strengthen democratic institutions and build public confidence in the electoral system saying transparent processes and accountability were essential to ensuring free and fair electionswith PTI inputs