NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of compromising the integrity of the electoral process through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls and changes to voter-enrolment rules. He also stated that the party would step up its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the government.Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Kharge said the party faced a “historic responsibility” to protect democracy and the Constitution, drawing a parallel between the Congress’ fight for voting rights during British rule and its current campaign over voter rolls.He alleged that names were being removed from electoral rolls “at the behest of the BJP and the Modi government” and accused the CEC of becoming a “puppet” of the government.On the contrary the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions have full legal sanction and that differing views among commissioners are part of institutional deliberations.Kharge also targeted changes to Form 6, which is used for enrolling new voters. He alleged that the rules had been changed in a way that could disenfranchise young voters. He also contrasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with the decision of the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1988 to lower the voting age from 21 to 18.“They didn’t provide jobs, and now they don’t even want to give the right to vote,” Kharge said, alleging that the government feared questions from the youth.
Kharge backs Rahul Gandhi’s voter-roll allegations
Kharge congratulated Rahul Gandhi for raising questions over voter rolls in Mahadevpuram, Aland and constituencies in Haryana and Maharashtra.He referred to allegations involving duplicate voters, doubtful addresses, multiple voters registered at the same address and entries linked to Form 6, saying the Election Commission should have acted on the issues.“If the Election Commission had shown even a little seriousness in that direction, they would not be in the dock today, and their credibility would have been preserved,” he said.Kharge also praised Congress workers who organised protests at the block, district and state levels following Rahul’s campaign.The Congress has been pressing for Kumar’s resignation amid a controversy over reported differences within the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. The poll panel has said that operational queries raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi were part of normal institutional deliberations and that its orders followed established procedures.Kharge also questioned the decision-making process behind SIR, asking whether it was wrong to seek clarity on who approved the exercise and why the two election commissioners were allegedly kept out of the internal portal.
Congress lists five demands
Kharge laid out five demands that he said the Congress would pursue:
- Full data on major changes to voter lists should be made public.
- Voters whose names have been removed should receive complete information and a full opportunity to appeal.
- Political parties should receive voter lists and essential related data in a simple format and in a timely manner.
- Serious discrepancies should be independently investigated within a fixed timeframe.
- Election-related data and decisions should be transparent so that no political party can claim information is being withheld.
- “The most important thing is that India’s voters must have the confidence that their vote is secure,” Kharge said.
He said the Congress did not view the issue merely as a contest over winning or losing elections, arguing that governments may change but democracy and the Constitution were permanent.
Kharge targets PM Modi, Shah and Election Commission
Kharge also accused the BJP and RSS of systematically weakening independent institutions and said the Congress wanted the Election Commission to be strong enough to command the trust of both the ruling party and opposition.He alleged that two election commissioners had themselves described the CEC’s actions as arbitrary and unfair and said those responsible should be removed.Kharge also demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation “on moral grounds”, alleging that the CEC had acted under his pressure.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
The Congress president compared the current controversy with demonetisation, calling the alleged removal of voters from electoral rolls “vote demonetisation”.“In demonetisation, the poor stood in line. In vote demonetisation, the poor has been thrown out of the line altogether,” he said, arguing that voting was the biggest political tool available to poor, Dalit and marginalised citizens.The CWC meeting comes ahead of a meeting of opposition INDIA bloc parties on Wednesday, where a joint strategy on the SIR controversy and the demand for Kumar’s removal is expected to be discussed. The opposition is also considering another removal notice against the CEC in Parliament.
