Mumbai: Members of organisations representing citizens' groups and religious minorities in Mumbai demanded the suspension of the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, dissolution of the current Election Commission of India (ECI) and prosecution of its members.
13 Crore Exclusions Questioned
Addressing a press conference, the United Against Injustice and Discrimination (UAID), supported by the People's Union for Civil Liberties and we Association for Protection of Civil Rights, said the exclusion of around 130 million (13 crore) names from electoral rolls had raised questions about whether the exercise was meant to clean up electoral data or exclude specific groups, including minorities and marginalised communities, from exercising their right to vote. The government has explained the exclusions, saying the names deleted were those of people who had died, shifted addresses or whose names were duplicated (box).
Advocate Sandhya Gokhle said the ongoing SIR in Maharashtra had deleted 31% of voters and that 18% of voters had received notices after the creation of the draft rolls. Gokhle alleged that five million voters were added to the Maharashtra electoral rolls between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fared poorly, and the subsequent state Assembly elections, when the party won a sweeping victory.
Electoral Roll Additions Questioned
"All this is being done to stay in power; there is no clarity on the constituencies where the names were added and the BJP's victory margins in these seats," Gokhle said.
Dolphy D'Souza, spokesperson for the Bombay Catholic Sabha, said protests by Gen Z had opened a door for protests against the functioning of the ECI, adding that the current exemptions granted to the body from prosecution must be withdrawn.
Changes To ECI Sought
Other speakers alleged the SIR was robbing people of their constitutional right to vote. Advocate Gayatri Singh alleged that the maximum number of deletions in Maharashtra had happened in areas with large populations of religious minorities, such as Bhiwandi, Mankhurd and Nala Sopara.
"The ECI added an illegal provision to Form 6, which is supposed to be filled by first-time voters. People have been asked to give declarations about their parents' mapping," said Singh, who demanded punitive action against two of the three ECI members who had initially objected to the process but later supported the Chief Election Commissioner.
Ulka Mahajan, a social activist and former academician, alleged that while the ECI had to ensure that not a single eligible voter was left out, the design of the current exercise was aimed at excluding certain sections from voting.
"We are not stopping the government from excluding illegal immigrants from voting. The SIR process is ad hoc. While the ECI is an independent authority crucial for democracy, the current process of electoral-roll revision is faulty," Mahajan alleged.
Speakers at the meeting demanded the withdrawal of Electronic Voting Machines and a change in the way the ECI is constituted. Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi, a religious cleric, demanded a return to ballot papers.
Another speaker, Harwinder Singh Khalsa, said his name was missing from the electoral rolls because it had been spelt incorrectly. "Who changed the spelling? I have voted earlier and there was no problem," said Khalsa.
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