Jairam Ramesh Cites O.P. Rawat's SIR Criticism, Raises Concerns Over Voter Exclusion

New Delhi, Oct 1 : Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh on Thursday cited former Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat's criticism of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying the controversy over electoral-roll revisions had become part of a broader debate over public confidence in India's electoral system.

In a post on X, Ramesh referred to Rawat's recent interview with a leading national daily and quoted the former CEC as saying that the scale of voter exclusion under the SIR was the three-member Election Commission. Ramesh also referred to Rawat's comments concerning Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, amid reports that the two had unprecedented since Independence.

Ramesh claimed that nearly 14 crore voters had been disenfranchised through the SIR exercise and cited Rawat's concerns over the Election Commission's functioning and its handling of electoral-roll revisions.

Rawat has separately raised questions about the SIR process, changes to Form 6 and reported differences within the three-member Election Commission. Ramesh also referred to Rawat's comments concerning Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, amid reports that the two had raised objections to certain decisions relating to electoral rolls, Form 6 and the SIR process.

According to reports cited by Ramesh, the two commissioners had raised objections on multiple occasions over a period of 10 months. Rawat has said that decisions of the Election Commission are required to be taken either unanimously or by majority and has called for greater transparency in addressing reported differences within the poll panel.

The Congress has strongly criticised the SIR exercise, alleging that large-scale deletions could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls. The party has also questioned the procedures governing verification, claims and objections.

The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the SIR is aimed at preparing accurate electoral rolls and identifying ineligible, duplicate, deceased or shifted electors. It has also said that decisions of the full Commission are taken collectively and that differences during internal deliberations do not affect institutional decision-making.

The controversy has also centred on the Commission's digital systems, changes to the online Form 6 and the handling of electoral-roll data. The ECI has announced a review of its voter-roll software following reports questioning changes made during the revision process.

Ramesh said the latest criticism added to what he described as growing public concern over electoral transparency. He said the INDIA Alliance was committed to protecting the Constitution and democracy, linking the SIR controversy to the Opposition alliance's wider campaign on voter rights and the functioning of the Election Commission.