The Congress party has raised concerns over what it calls 'contradictions' in the Supreme Court's judgment regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Party leaders highlighted that the timeline set for the SIR process is 'excessively compressed,' particularly for large states like Bihar and West Bengal, where crores of voters would need to be verified within four to five months.
Congress Raises Concerns
Speaking to the media, a senior Congress leader stated that the Supreme Court's directive appears impractical given the scale of the exercise. 'The timeline is unrealistic. Conducting a thorough revision of electoral rolls for crores of voters in states like Bihar and West Bengal within four to five months is a herculean task,' the leader said. The party also pointed out that the judgment contains internal contradictions, as it acknowledges the importance of accurate rolls but imposes a deadline that could compromise the quality of the revision.
Background of the SIR
The Special Intensive Revision was ordered by the Supreme Court to clean up electoral rolls and remove duplicate or fake entries. The process involves door-to-door verification and cross-checking of voter details. While the court emphasized the need for error-free rolls, Congress argues that the rushed timeline could lead to errors and disenfranchisement of genuine voters.
Political analyst Yogendra Yadav also commented on the issue, stating that the SIR must be conducted meticulously to ensure no eligible voter is left out. 'The Supreme Court's intention is noble, but the implementation needs to be practical,' Yadav said. Former Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar noted that such large-scale revisions typically require at least a year to complete effectively.
Congress's Stance
The Congress party has urged the Election Commission to seek an extension of the timeline from the Supreme Court. 'We are not against cleaning the rolls, but it must be done without disenfranchising voters. The current timeline is arbitrary and could lead to chaos,' a party spokesperson added. The issue is expected to be raised in Parliament as well.
