ECI has no justification to hold SIR: Congress in Parliament
What's the story
The winter session of Parliament is currently underway, with the Lok Sabha debating electoral reforms. The focus is on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise launched by the Election Commission of India in several states. A total of 10 hours has been set aside for the full discussion for SIR in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Opening the debate for opposition, Congress MP Manish Tewari called for a return to paper ballots, claiming EVM votes can be manipulated.
Debate highlights
Tewari questions ECI's authority, praises Rajiv Gandhi
Tewari also questioned the Election Commission's legal right to conduct SIR reforms. He said SIR is ongoing in many states in the country, but the Election Commission of India "has no legal justification to hold SIR." "You can't implement SIR across Bihar or Kerala, it can only be applied where genuine discrepancies exist," he said. He praised former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for reducing the voting age from 21 to 18, calling it the "biggest election reform."
Tiwari
3 reforms suggested
He also suggested three reforms. "The first reform...is an amendment to the law governing the selection of ECI members. My suggestion is that LoP Lok Sabha and Chief Justice...should be added to the committee..." The SIR process should be stopped. "No provision in law allows it. Poll officers (BLO) committing suicide," he said. Also, direct cash transfers before an election should be stopped. "There has been misuse of government funds, with cash being transferred into people's accounts 15 months before...elections."
Opposition leadership
Rahul Gandhi to lead opposition in Lok Sabha
The opposition has been demanding a debate on SIR for months, alleging issues with voter lists. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will also speak during the debate. He has been critical of SIR, alleging it deletes genuine voters. The government has defended SIR as a necessary step for accurate voter representation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to start the discussion in Rajya Sabha.