New Delhi: Leaders of INDIA bloc parties met Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashok Kumar on Wednesday, October 7, and demanded the cancellation of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and restoration of the 47.56 lakh names excluded from the draft voter list of the national capital.
According to a statement issued by the parties, the delegation comprising leaders from the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI(M), CPI(ML), RSP, AIFB and Trinamool Congress (TMC), submitted a memorandum to Kumar after marching from Kashmiri Gate to the Delhi election office.
Over 47L names excluded from draft roll
More than 47 lakh names have been excluded from the draft roll prepared during the SIR, with notices issued to over 33 lakh people over “discrepancies” in their records.
The leaders of the Opposition bloc demanded that the notices be withdrawn and all eligible voters whose names have been excluded be restored to the electoral roll, the statement said.
The parties also sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the manner in which the SIR was conducted has raised questions about the Election Commission’s (EC) functioning and transparency.
Protests over SIR
The delegation’s demands come amid continuing Opposition protests against the SIR, which they have alleged could disenfranchise eligible voters. The EC has maintained that the SIR provides an opportunity for people to establish their eligibility and that the issuance of notices does not, by itself, mean deletion from the voter list.
The INDIA bloc also demanded a return to ballot papers, saying polls should be conducted through paper ballots to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Later in the day, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav and party workers joined the INDIA bloc protest at Jantar Mantar, where they were detained by police.
“Every arrest, every atrocity and every dictatorial action will be accounted for. Our fight against vote thieves continues,” Yadav said.
He said arrests would not stop the Congress from protesting against the SIR and demanded action against those whom the party accused of undermining the electoral process.
There was no immediate response from the Delhi CEO’s office to the claims made by the opposition parties.
