Panaji: Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday questioned the Congress’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asking whether the party was against the exercise or electoral accountability, and asserted that reliable voter lists were essential to protect the sanctity of elections.
Addressing a press conference in Goa, Shekhawat said the revision of electoral rolls was a constitutional exercise aimed at strengthening the country’s democratic institutions, but alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties were turning it into a political controversy.
“Criticise the government’s policies, decisions and perspectives, but what is the basis for opposing the process of preparing clean electoral rolls merely because of political convenience?” he asked.
Shekhawat said India had witnessed large-scale migration and urbanisation over the past two decades, resulting in instances of people retaining their names in voter lists at their original places of residence while also registering at their new locations.
Citing estimates, he claimed that around 40 crore people had migrated from their native places over the last 20 years, while nearly 20 crore people had died during the same period.
He said migration for employment, business, education and better healthcare had contributed to duplicate entries in electoral rolls, which were now being identified through the SIR exercise.
The minister also questioned the opposition’s objections to identifying and removing names of deceased persons, permanently shifted voters, duplicate entries and those found untraceable during the verification process.
Citing figures from various phases of the SIR, Shekhawat claimed that around 13 crore entries had been removed from electoral rolls, including 2.8 crore names of deceased persons, while 1.9 crore new names had been added.
He said the revision involved both deletion of ineligible entries and inclusion of eligible voters who were previously missing from the electoral rolls.
“Is the Congress opposing SIR or electoral accountability? The party should make its position clear,” he said, adding that citizens had the right to seek an explanation from the opposition.
Shekhawat maintained that the credibility of elections depended on the reliability of electoral rolls, arguing that the democratic principle of one person, one vote could be protected only through accurate voter lists.
“An election is important, and winning an election is also important, but the sanctity of the electoral process is equally important. The electoral roll is the foundation of the election process,” he said.
He asserted that ensuring every eligible citizen’s voting right while identifying duplicate and ineligible entries was necessary to strengthen democracy.
The SIR exercise has triggered a political confrontation between the BJP and opposition parties, with the latter raising concerns over the process and its potential impact on eligible voters.
