New Delhi, Delhi
The Congress has launched a strong attack on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the measures now being proposed by the Commission regarding the revision of electoral rolls amount to an admission that the entire process has seriously failed. He described the Election Commission’s recent press note as merely an attempt at “damage control.”
Jairam Ramesh said the steps now being taken regarding voters whose names have been removed from the electoral rolls or who are at risk of being removed are not sufficient to address the large-scale concerns surrounding voting rights. He claimed that adequate efforts were not made earlier to reach and verify the voters whom the Commission is now proposing to contact through door-to-door visits.
Congress Raises Questions Over 5.43 Crore Voters
According to Jairam Ramesh, around 5.43 crore voters are reportedly at risk of having their names removed from the electoral rolls. He said the Commission is now proposing to send Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to the homes of these voters.
He questioned why BLO visits were not sufficiently extensive during the earlier door-to-door verification process. Ramesh argued that if the initial verification process was inadequate, simply repeating the same mechanism would not resolve the underlying problems.
Claim of 14 Crore Names Being Deleted
The Congress General Secretary also claimed that around 14 crore voter names have been removed across the three phases of the SIR process so far. He questioned the system under which affected individuals would then be required to apply again to have their names included in the electoral rolls.
Ramesh described this as a serious situation concerning voters’ rights. He argued that removing names on such a large scale and subsequently asking the affected voters to apply again for inclusion raises questions about the fairness of the process.
Allegation of Benefiting the BJP
Jairam Ramesh also levelled serious political allegations against the Election Commission. He claimed that voters from marginalised sections were selectively targeted for deletion to benefit the BJP. However, this is a political allegation made by the Congress, and the information provided does not contain independent evidence to substantiate the claim.
Ramesh also raised questions regarding the alleged misuse of ECINET software and accused the Election Commission of failing to provide adequate clarification on the matter.
The Congress has maintained that any revision of electoral rolls must ensure transparency, proper verification and adequate opportunity for voters to protect their voting rights. Jairam Ramesh described the Commission’s current measures as an attempt to compensate for the damage rather than address the root causes of the problem.
The dispute between the Congress and the Election Commission over the SIR process comes at a time when political debate over electoral-roll revision, voter verification and voting rights has intensified. Attention will now be focused on further clarifications from the Election Commission and responses from political parties on the issue.
