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.
Vijayan said that using voter lists from 2002 to 2004 instead of the current rolls would violate the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. “These laws clearly state that any update must be made using the current voter list as its foundation,” he said.
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…”
