Noted economist and social activist Parkala Prabhakar on Saturday termed the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls a 'bloodless political genocide', which is likely to commence soon in Jharkhand. He made the remarks while attending a two-day deliberation on 'SIR and the Current State of the Electoral System', organised by the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM) in Ranchi.
Allegations of Non-Transparency
Prabhakar stated that the entire process is being carried out in an extremely non-transparent manner, violating the Election Commission's (EC) own rulebook. Despite this, the EC is implementing SIR. He claimed that a process is underway to alter the country's political structure through SIR, delimitation, and the census. The long-term consequences, he warned, would be extremely serious as it would create two categories of citizens in India: those who have the right to vote and those from whom this right is taken away.
Disenfranchisement Figures
According to Prabhakar, around 6.5 crore voters across 10 states and 3 Union Territories have been disenfranchised so far, and the number is estimated to reach 16.5 crore across the country. He alleged that although the constitutional validity of SIR has been challenged in the Supreme Court, no decision has been delivered yet.
Impact on Jharkhand
JJM, a conglomeration of rights bodies, said in a statement that the impact of SIR on Jharkhand would be serious, as sufficient evidence exists of the lack of documents among Adivasi and Dalit communities in the state. The statement read: 'The people of Jharkhand must prepare themselves and build pressure on the EC to ensure total transparency throughout the process, and that any decision to add or remove a name must be made only through the Gram Sabha or Ward Sabha.'
The remarks come amid growing concerns over the electoral roll revision process, with activists and political parties demanding greater transparency and adherence to legal procedures.
