NEW DELHIl In the middle of a war of wits between government and the opposition over the revision of Bihar's electoral rolls and allegations of bias against Election Commission, deputy leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi has said the poll watchdog should be brought under "parliamentary oversight" to save its credibility - a demand that may touch off a new debate amid the chaos that threatens to sink the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.The Congress MP said Parliament had a role in the appointment process of EC through the presence of the leader of opposition in the collegium for its selection, but had no role in its regular functioning and oversight. Gogoi said the nature of parliamentary oversight could be debated but the fact that it was required cannot be disputed any more.The opposition is set to escalate its focus on EC in coming days, with INDIA bloc demanding that govt schedule a discussion on Bihar's rolls review in Parliament, a demand that looks likely to blockade the two Houses in the coming weeks. At the same time, Congress MP and LoP in LS Rahul Gandhi is set to lead a protest in Bengaluru on Tuesday against what he alleges is tampering of the voters' list in Bangalore Rural LS seat - a sample that Congress has researched to claim similar irregularities exist elsewhere.He may also give a presentation on the "Bangalore findings" of Congress to allies on Thursday.Gogoi argued, "I think to put EC back on track should be the duty of every citizen.
Author: Subodh Ghildiyal
Published at: 2025-08-03 22:54:30
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