Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 25: Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday said questions were being raised about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process not only by Opposition parties but also by members of the public amid the ongoing controversy over the revision of electoral rolls.
Speaking to IANS about Opposition parties preparing to bring an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Chaturvedi said concerns were emerging over whether votes were properly authorised and valid after being included in the electoral rolls.
“Political parties are one side. People are now beginning to wonder whether our vote is authorised, and after being authorised, whether it is valid. Whether it is being tampered with or not,” she said.
Chaturvedi alleged that additions and deletions of names during the SIR exercise were being carried out arbitrarily. She referred to reports that the two Election Commissioners had raised objections on 14 occasions over a 10-month period regarding decisions related to the electoral process.
She said the Election Commissioners had raised concerns over the procedures for addition, deletion and restoration of names in electoral rolls, and claimed that decisions were being taken without adequate consultation.
According to Chaturvedi, the Election Commissioners had also raised concerns about the centralisation of the electoral-roll information technology infrastructure.
“The most crucial part of the Election Commission’s responsibility is keeping all the election-related processes decentralised so that all the State election commissioners could be empowered,” she said.
She also alleged that the introduction of Form 6 was not in accordance with the required procedure, claiming that permission from the government was necessary for its introduction but was not obtained.
Referring to Goa, Chaturvedi said that in cases where Electoral Registration Officers had completed verification and directed that eligible voters be included again, the names had to be communicated to the central database rather than being directly added by the officers.
“There are no signatures on the press release from the Election Commission. No press conference was held. None of the three Election Commissioners sat together. On what basis is the BJP supporting them?” she asked.
Chaturvedi further questioned why the two Election Commissioners would have sought a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary if their concerns were merely part of the initial deliberations and were eventually resolved collectively.
“Why were two Election Commissioners eager to meet the Cabinet Secretary to tell him how arbitrary actions were being carried out?” she asked.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the BJP-led Centre over the electoral-roll issue and called on Kumar to resign and turn “approver” in what Gandhi described as the alleged “stealing” of votes.
The latest controversy followed a media report about differences within the Election Commission over the SIR exercise and other electoral-roll-related matters. The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion of an institutional rupture, saying that differing views and observations among its members are part of the normal deliberative process and maintaining that final decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously.