The Asian Tribune
www.asiantribune.net
The Election Commission of India’s decision to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has become a major issue in the country.
Opposition parties have criticized the move. However, ECI maintains that the aim is to ‘correct’ the voter lists. Election Commission says that it wants to add eligible new voters and remove names of the ineligible ones.
In the first round of SIR, more than 68 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls in Bihar. Now, ECI is ready for next round of SIR in 12 states and union territories.
The opposition has accused the Election Commission of enabling a process of voter disenfranchisement in a way that would favour the BJP-led NDA alliance. Activists have also expressed worry and said that it would affect the disadvantaged groups including Muslims.
Congress and RJD have termed the exercised–‘vote chori’ i.e. stealing the votes. The opposition has said that marginalized sections are targeted.
Political activist Yogendra Yadav has questioned the ECI’s move. The Swaraj India leader also says that ECI must tell what it learnt from SIR in Bihar and on what basis the Election Commission is treating 2003 as cutoff year though there was no verification citizenships during the revision then.
Yadav says that if Aadhaar is not accepted as stand-along document as it is not a citizenship proof, why other 9 documents (except passport and birth certificate) have been accepted as stand along documents when none of them is a proof of citizenship.
He says that ECI has changed its position several times and it must tell that who exactly gets exemption on the basis of having their name in electoral rolls in 2002-2003? ‘They themselves, their children or anyone related to them?”.
Political parties like TMC and DMK have also questioned the SIR. Leaders have gone to the extent of calling it an ‘electoral fraud‘ to rig polls and tilt balance in elections with narrow margins.
There are also fears among a few sections that a pan-India exercise can affect millions of people and it could also be a sort of ‘NRC’ under a different name.
It is being felt that deleting names or disenfranchising the citizens would be seen as a step towards suspicion on the person’s citizenship. This is a point that strikes a chord with people. They term it as yet another ‘NRC from backdoor’ effort.
Activists have drawn the attention of the Supreme court. Questions about documents like Aadhaar card and ECI’s shifting stand, irks a section.
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