EC acted with bias in SIR: Oppn issues letter to CJI

NEw new delhi: A letter of the alphabet written by 24 oppositeness parties and an main(a) leader to Chief justness of India (CJI) Surya Kant last month, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of acting in a “brazen” and “biased” manner during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, was made public on Friday. The parties alleged that the exercise was rushed, poorly implemented and disenfranchised lakhs of voters, putting the country’s democratic process “in jeopardy”.Among the signatories were Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and Independent MP Kapil Sibal. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) also signed the letter despite its recent differences with the Congress over support for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) after the Tamil Nadu elections. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which parted ways with the INDIA bloc in 2025, was also among the signatories.“We all, representing like-minded political parties, firmly opposed to the BJP, believe that the electoral process is being manipulated and outcomes in multiple instances do not reflect the will of the people,” the parties said.Questioning the appointment process of Election Commissioners, the Opposition alleged, “Since 2014, almost every appointment made by the government has been of persons closely associated with it and seen to be doing the bidding of the government, brazenly, to manipulate the outcome of election results.”The parties also criticised the SIR exercise, saying the ECI had justified it as a measure to improve the integrity of electoral rolls, but the outcome had been the opposite.“The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of sanitising the electoral rolls, according to the Chief Election Commissioner, was required to be done to ensure their integrity. But the result is quite the opposite,” the letter said.The Opposition further alleged that the Centre removed the Chief Justice of India from the committee responsible for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner, allowing the ruling party to exercise greater control over appointments.“There has been open, unabashed support of the BJP during the course of and in the outcome of electoral processes,” the letter stated, adding that the ECI remained silent when the BJP allegedly violated the Model Code of Conduct.The parties claimed that the SIR process in Bihar and West Bengal relied heavily on documentation, making it exclusionary for poor and illiterate voters.“Verification of voters based on filling forms and production of documents, questioning citizenship, left voters disenfranchised. This was particularly true of those who are poor, uneducated, including Dalits, Adivasis, members of the minority community and migrant workers,” the letter said.The Opposition also alleged instances of forged signatures, forms being submitted without voters’ consent and inadequate grievance redressal mechanisms.The letter further accused the ECI of arbitrarily deleting large numbers of names from electoral rolls and criticised the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) during elections in West Bengal. It said around 3.5 lakh CAPF personnel were deployed during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including about 2.4 lakh in West Bengal.“It was apparent that the West Bengal Government was under siege with the presence of 2 lakh 40 thousand CAPF personnel,” the parties said.Referring to legal challenges against the SIR process, the Opposition said the Supreme Court had constituted 19 tribunals to hear appeals. It cited one tribunal headed by Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, where 1,717 of the 1,777 challenged deletions were found to be wrongful.“If the same proportion is applied on other pending appeals before the 19 tribunals, it would mean that more than 25 lakh voters were unable to cast their votes due to a process which was inherently flawed,” the letter said. It further alleged that most of the deleted names were from constituencies where the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) was dominant.The parties also questioned the transfer of 483 officials, including the then Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, alleging they were replaced with officers approved by the ECI. They also raised concerns over the appointment of officials at counting centres, alleging that representatives chosen by the Union government and the Returning Officer were present, while no nominee of the AITC was included.“Quite apart from the electoral rolls, serious questions are also being raised about the process of electronic voting, and in particular about the role of electronic voting machines,” the letter stated, calling for the use of ballot papers where appropriate.The Opposition also accused central investigative agencies of being used selectively against political rivals. “We find, and it is a matter of grave concern, that the agencies of the government, in particular the CBI, the ED and the NIA, are used only to target those in opposition,” the letter said.Urging the Chief Justice to suspend the SIR exercise and restore the integrity of the electoral process, the parties concluded, “When all else fails, people still repose their trust in the judiciary. So when the judiciary fails to respond, it indicates a complete breakdown of the Republic.”EOM