New Delhi: The government has agreed to the opposition’s demand for a parliamentary debate on electoral reforms, including the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls for all states, NDTV reported on Tuesday afternoon, citing sources. The Business Advisory Council is expected to decide the duration of the debate later today.
The winter session, which opened Monday, has been dominated by opposition criticism of the Election Commission’s state-wise re-verification of electoral rolls, particularly in Bengal and Tamil Nadu—two non-BJP states headed for elections next year.
Congress and the Trinamool Congress have alleged that the SIR is a pretext to remove genuine voters who may favour the opposition, pointing to last month’s Bihar election—held after a similar revision and won decisively by the BJP. They have also accused the ruling party of colluding with the Election Commission, an allegation denied by both the BJP and the poll body.
The dispute escalated earlier this year when the matter reached the Supreme Court, which upheld the Election Commission’s authority to conduct the review. Since then, concerns have intensified over alleged pressure on booth-level officers (BLOs) carrying out the process, with reports of multiple deaths and widespread distress among these officials.
On Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha the government was open to a discussion on SIR and electoral reforms but cautioned the opposition against demanding a fixed timeline. The opposition staged a walkout after the Chair declined nine notices seeking a debate, including one specifically on SIR, triggering loud protests.
The agreement to hold a debate marks a significant shift after two days of turmoil, setting the stage for what is expected to be a high-stakes confrontation over electoral integrity during the ongoing session. (Agencies)
