‘SIR is necessary’, reiterates Nadda; slams Opposition for misleading narrative over electoral exercise

Union Minister and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda, on Tuesday reiterated the significance of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Speaking during a debate on electoral reforms in the Upper House amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Nadda said it had become imperative for the Election Commission to conduct the SIR exercise as there had been no deletion of voters since 2010.

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“The Election Commission has to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person is included in the voters’ list,” Nadda said, adding that the Constitution empowers the ECI to verify and revise electoral rolls from time to time.

Responding to opposition queries on the need for the SIR, Nadda said the exercise was neither new nor unprecedented. “They ask why this SIR is being conducted. This process is not new; it has been in place since the first Lok Sabha elections in 1952,” he said.

Nadda accused the Congress and other opposition parties of deliberately misleading the country and targeting the Election Commission and electronic voting machines (EVMs). He said, “For years, the responsibility of overseeing ECI work rested with a party controlled by a family, but no questions were raised.”

Nadda also mentioned that the opposition was trying to build an atmosphere, suggesting that electoral rigging was taking place. “Over the past four months, attempts have been made to create an atmosphere as if some rigging is taking place. This narrative is being built without any basis,” he told the House.

He highlighted the government’s willingness to hold discussions over important issues. The Union minister said, “The Modi government never runs away from discussion on any issue in Parliament.”

Also read: INDIA bloc has nothing to do with Congress rally against SIR, ‘vote chori’: Omar Abdullah