Chidambaram Reiterates Congress Demands on SIR, Seeks Restoration of Deleted Voter Names

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday reiterated the Congress Working Committee's demands concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the exercise and restoration of names the party says were removed from voter lists.

The CWC adopted its resolution on Tuesday amid an intensifying political dispute over the SIR process. Congress has claimed that 13.30 crore names have been removed from electoral rolls and has sought their restoration.

“The BJP’s response to the CWC resolution and its defence of the CEC are pathetic,” Chidambaram said.

He said there was no objection to removing the names of deceased voters from electoral rolls, but questioned deletions carried out on other grounds.

“Nobody wants dead voters to remain on the rolls. They can be removed through the usual annual revision on January 1,” he said, while questioning deletions allegedly linked to an inability to fill Form 6, voters being “not found at the address” or what is described as a “logical discrepancy”.

Chidambaram also questioned the scale of the deletions claimed by the Congress. “The BJP must explain how 14 per cent of the adult population of India has been removed from the rolls in 20 states under SIR,” he said.

The Congress leader further cited data from West Bengal's SIR appellate process. According to Election Commission data obtained through an RTI application, 82,782 appeals had been disposed of by the tribunals by August, with 75,443 names, or about 91 per cent of those cases, restored to the electoral rolls.

Chidambaram said the figures raised questions that the BJP should address. He also referred to a question raised by National Campaign for People's Right to Information member Anjali Bhargava concerning the location of the file containing the original decision to undertake the SIR exercise.

“There are many more questions. I am sure the entire SIR exercise will unravel in the next few weeks or months,” he said.

The Congress's demands come as the Election Commission faces increased scrutiny over the SIR process. The poll panel has recently announced changes to procedures concerning voter-roll revisions, including a review of voter-roll software and measures intended to assist voters whose records have been flagged for discrepancies.

The Election Commission has also withdrawn an additional SIR-related declaration from Form 6 in states where the revision process has already concluded, following concerns raised by two Election Commissioners about the provision.

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc is scheduled to meet in New Delhi as opposition parties discuss the SIR controversy and possible joint action. The meeting follows the CWC resolution and comes amid ongoing discussions among opposition parties over coordination and strategy.

The Congress is expected to place its concerns over the Election Commission and the voter-roll revision process before the wider opposition grouping as it seeks a coordinated political response.