Opposition parties escalated pressure on the government on the eve of the Winter Session of Parliament, demanding an immediate debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and national security at Sunday’s all-party meeting.
The government maintained that the agenda would be settled only after the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meets later in the evening.
Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav said, “We will not allow the House to function if discussion is not held on SIR.” He alleged that several booth-level officers (BLOs) had taken their own lives due to pressure “to remove specific names from voter lists”.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee echoed the charge, claiming, “Forty persons have lost their lives conducting SIR exercise.” He further alleged, “The objective of EC was to delete votes through SIR.”
A 42-year-old BLO in Rajasthan’s Dholpur on Sunday, who collapsed at home and died. A woman booth-level officer (BLO) in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh died of a cardiac arrest on Saturday night, officials said on Sunday.
Amid these allegations, the Election Commission on Sunday extended the entire SIR schedule by one week across nine states and three Union Territories. Enumeration form distribution will now run until 11 December instead of 4 December. Draft electoral rolls will be published on 16 December rather than 9 December, and the final voters’ list will be released on 14 February 2026 instead of 7 February.
The DMK, Left parties, IUML and RJD also pressed for a discussion, citing worries about the integrity of the revision process, federal issues and what they described as the Election Commission’s conduct.
Opposition leaders said the combination of tight deadlines and alleged political pressures had created an unacceptable burden on ground-level election staff.
A second flashpoint emerged over the recent blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, with the Opposition insisting on a detailed debate on national security.
CPI-M leader John Brittas said the incident “exposed the government and necessitated a discussion on national security.” Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, “The blast in Delhi is evidence of the failing law and order and the home ministry.”
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju appealed for a disruption-free session.
He said the government would “keep discussing with all parties to ensure smooth functioning of the House”, but avoided committing to any specific debate. “This is the Winter Session of Parliament and everyone should think and conduct themselves with a cool mind,” he told reporters. “Parliament should not be stalled and it should function smoothly.” On SIR, he added, “The matter will be discussed at the Business Advisory Committee meeting this evening.”
Rijiju later posted on X, calling for “positivity”, “parliamentary decorum” and “well-informed discussions”, expressing hope for a “meaningful, mature & result-oriented #WinterSession.”
The Winter Session will run from 1 to 19 December, making it one of the shortest in recent years.