Manoj Jha Slams BJP Over Praise for Election Chief

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha criticized BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya after Bhattacharya claimed that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar deserves the Padma Bhushan award. Jha sarcastically suggested that Bhattacharya should receive the Bharat Ratna for his wisdom, characterizing the current state of the Election Commission of India as an "institutional collapse."

The political clash follows reports of internal dissents by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. While the Election Commission maintains that its final decisions were unanimous, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has called for the panel to clarify the reports of internal friction.

Jha expressed hope that the Supreme Court of India would intervene on its own initiative to address the crisis. The exchange highlights deepening tensions over the perceived stability and neutrality of India's primary poll regulatory body.