Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, clarifying that her party is not opposed to nationwide SIR (Special Intensive Revision), said the time allotted for the process is extremely short due to which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have to bear enormous pressure.
In this context, she cited several deaths of BLOs due to work-related stress.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the BSP leader said among the improvements being considered during the ongoing discussions in Parliament on electoral reforms, three major reforms are absolutely essential to ensure a fair, transparent, and inclusive election process.
Lamenting the haste with which the SIR exercise has been undertaken, she pointed out that Uttar Pradesh alone has over 15.4 crore voters. Rushing through the process will result in the exclusion of many legitimate voters — especially the poor and migrant workers. Such exclusions, she said, would deny citizens their constitutional right to vote granted by Dr. BR Ambedkar.
The BSP has demanded that the Election Commission should extend the deadline and avoid haste in carrying out the process.
Referring to Supreme Court guidelines requiring candidates to disclose their criminal records in affidavits and for parties to publish these details in newspapers, Mayawati said the burden is often unfairly passed on to political parties. In many cases, she noted, candidates hide their criminal history from the party and the information emerges only during scrutiny.
The BSP chief suggested that the entire responsibility for completing the mandated formalities regarding the disclosures of criminal background should rest solely with the candidate, not political parties. If a candidate is later found to have concealed information, all legal liability should be borne by the candidate alone.
Mayawati also reiterated the BSP’s longstanding demand to restore voting through ballot paper, citing widespread mistrust and recurring complaints about EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines). If a complete return to ballot papers is not immediately possible, she insisted that every VVPAT slip in every booth must be counted and matched with the EVM totals.
She dismissed the Election Commission’s argument that this would take too much time, saying a few additional hours are insignificant when elections themselves span several months. Full VVPAT verification, she said, is essential to restore public confidence and end recurring doubts raised by citizens, which is in the national interest.
She concluded by saying implementation of these reforms would greatly strengthen faith in the democratic process and ensure that elections remain free, fair, and transparent.