NEW DELHI: The Opposition on Tuesday called the Election Commission’s second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls a democratic farce which can manipulate the upcoming polls.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera said the central poll body has lost its credibility.
“What about the difficulties faced during SIR in Bihar? What happened to the replies that we are expecting from the EC on the issues raised by us during SIR in Bihar? The Supreme Court had to intervene in it… In fact, the EC has lost its credibility,” Khera said upon his arrival in Patna.
Khera also demanded clarity on the procedure: “The EC must also clarify whether it would follow the 2003 guidelines while conducting the SIR in more states.”
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the EC’s decision a “serious challenge to the democratic process.” Vijayan alleged that the move “raised doubts about the poll panel’s intentions” and warned that it could undermine public trust in the electoral system.
The SIR will be carried out in 12 states and Union Territories, including the three poll-bound states of Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
In a strongly worded statement, Vijayan said the move by the ECI to carry out the SIR in Kerala and other states “poses a serious challenge to thedemocratic process.” He said it raised deep doubts about the intentions of the poll panel and could erode public trust in the country’s electoral system.
Vijayan said the criticism that the central authorities are using the SIR as a way to manipulate the voters’ list to their advantage has not been denied inany way, which makes it all the more relevant.
“Even while the constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR is under the consideration of the Supreme Court, the move to extend the same process to otherstates cannot be viewed as innocent or impartial. Conducting such a special intensive revision — which requires long-term preparation and extensiveconsultation — in haste clearly indicates an attempt to undermine the people’s mandate,” he said.
The chief minister pointed out that the Commission’s reported plan to base the revision on voters’ lists from 2002 to 2004, instead of the existing rolls,would directly violate the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
“These laws clearly stipulate that any update must use the current voters’ list as its foundation,” he said.
Vijayan also noted that Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer had already informed the Commission that conducting a special intensive revision now would beimpractical, as the state is preparing for local body elections.
“Pressing ahead with the SIR at this stage, despite those warnings, raises suspicions about the purpose behind the move,” he added.
Kerala had earlier become the first state in India to unanimously pass a resolution in the Legislative Assembly opposing the SIR process.
Vijayan said what happened in Bihar — where 65 lakh names were reportedly removed from the voters’ list — and the move to replicate that processelsewhere constitute a “complete violation of Article 326 of the Constitution,” which guarantees universal adult franchise.
“The right to vote, a fundamental right of every citizen, cannot be taken away or altered to suit political interests,” he said, warning that the SIR couldbecome “a backdoor implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).” Later in a post on ‘X’, Vijayan said ECI’s decision to conduct a Special
The Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit said the EC was working as a RSS member.
“The opposition presented evidence that all your systems are failing. But you are not addressing it… Wherever SIR or intervention is done by the EC, and vote percentage goes up or comes down, it benefits the ruling party. Earlier, we thought that the EC had become an agent of the BJP. Now, will you directly work as a Sangh member?”
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “We, the All India Trinamool Congress, ourselves are in favour of a transparent voter list. If there is any attempt to harass a valid voter, we will oppose it… We hope that the Election Commission of India does not do anything under the political pressure of the BJP that forces us to protest.”
Union minister Giriraj Singh accused the TMC of opposing the SIR “only to get Muslim votes.” “The Bengal of West Bengal looks like the Government of Bangladesh… These people oppose it only to get Muslim votes. They want to turn India into a dharamshala,” he said.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, linked the SIR to recent administrative reshuffles. “They (TMC) are scared and have instructed officials to indulge in rigging during the SIR. But the BJP will not stop. From the SIR to the elections, we will be on the ground, keeping an eye on everything.”
Maharashtra, where leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has alleged vote theft by the EC, BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule cited logistical issues in voter rolls: “In voter lists, names get added multiple times, but deletions don’t happen. Unless the Election Commission petitions the High Court and conducts door-to-door verification, the voter rolls will not be accurate.”
He said he had raised the issue in his constituency: “In my MLA constituency, there are 5,40,000 voters when ideally there should be around 2,50,000. Many people have shifted to suburban areas, but their names still remain in multiple places…”
Agencies