Congress MP S. Jothimani on Saturday accused the Election Commission of using the Special Revision of Voter List (SIR) exercise to deliberately remove voters from electoral rolls in opposition-ruled states. She alleged that the process, currently underway in 12 states including Tamil Nadu and two Union Territories, was politically motivated and lacked transparency.
Speaking to reporters at her constituency office in Karur on November 2, Jothimani said the India Alliance was united in opposing the SIR initiative. “SIR is being carried out with the intention of removing voters. That is why an all-party meeting was convened to strongly oppose it,” she said.
New Voter Verification Process Raises Concerns
Jothimani said that political parties were recently trained on the new voter list revision process and were given unfamiliar forms that went far beyond the standard update procedures.
“Earlier, voter list revisions meant simply updating existing rolls by adding new voters and removing deceased persons,” she explained. “But this time, the format and information sought are entirely new and confusing.”
She cited reports from Bihar, where around 65 lakh voters were reportedly removed through SIR, leading to a court case.
According to Jothimani, the new voter verification form asks for extensive personal details including the voter’s name, ID number, section and constituency details, date of birth, Aadhaar number (optional), mobile number, and family members’ names and ID numbers. It also seeks information about relatives who were present in the 2002 special revision list, requiring submission of death certificates for those no longer alive.
“This requirement is unreasonable,” she said. “Not everyone has access to death certificates, especially in rural areas. If the form is incomplete or filled incorrectly, it risks being rejected, resulting in voter deletion.”
“Election Commission Exceeding Its Mandate”
Jothimani alleged that the Election Commission (EC) was overstepping its authority by verifying the citizenship of voters – a task she said falls under the Home Ministry’s jurisdiction.
“The EC is acting as a puppet of the BJP,” she claimed. “It is exceeding its powers and attempting to disqualify legitimate voters under the guise of verification. This is nothing but an attempt to tamper with the democratic process.”
She said the India Alliance would continue to challenge the move and defend the voting rights of citizens across the affected states.
“The Election Commission is carrying out the BJP’s agenda of destroying our credibility. The opposition will not stay silent while voters in Tamil Nadu and other states are deliberately removed in the name of special electoral roll revision,” Jothimani said.
(Source: Hindu Tamil)
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