‘NO SIR National Platform’ launched, demands rollback of electoral roll revision

New Delhi: Representatives from across the country on Thursday launched the “NO SIR National Platform”, calling for the reversal of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), restoration of pre-SIR electoral rolls and changes to the process for appointing members of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Actor and activist Prakash Raj, who addressed the launch, accused the Election Commission and the Union government of undermining the electoral process. He also said, “We might be ‘dimagi naxals’, but Gyanesh Kumar, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are the real traitors of this country.”

The platform has put forward several demands, including scrapping the SIR and restoring the electoral rolls that existed before the revision. It has also sought the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and criminal proceedings over what it described as alleged illegal voter deletions, Maktoob Media reported.

The group has further called for amendments to the law governing the appointment of election commissioners and a restructuring of the ECI selection panel. It also wants elections in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to be prevented from being conducted on the basis of SIR-generated electoral rolls.

Questioning the need for the revision, Raj asked why an SIR was necessary only months after the Election Commission had published an updated electoral roll. He said the exercise was being presented as a measure against “infiltrators”, but argued that this narrative could divert attention from the broader impact of the revision on voters.

Raj also questioned whether election officials had received adequate training to conduct the exercise across Karnataka, given the state’s varied geographical terrain.

He cited figures showing 1.08 crore voters classified under categories such as absent, shifted, duplicated, deleted and others. He also referred to more than 43 lakh voters listed under categories including “no mapping” and “no logical discrepancy”.

Referring to the history of universal adult franchise in India, Raj argued that electoral procedures should facilitate participation rather than make it increasingly difficult for citizens to establish their eligibility to vote.

He also criticised the manner in which information about the SIR was being communicated to voters, saying the process appeared to place a disproportionate burden on citizens to prove their eligibility.

Raj raised particular concerns over Form-7 applications seeking the deletion of voters in Karnataka. He alleged that some applications contained voters’ details that had been pre-printed, while only the information of the person seeking deletion was handwritten.

He claimed that large numbers of such applications were being submitted across Karnataka and expressed concern that the revision could have a disproportionate impact on minorities and other marginalised communities.

Raj also accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of acting in the interests of the BJP and urged the Supreme Court to examine decisions taken by the Election Commission. He further called for the SIR exercise to be halted.

APCR national convenor Nadeem Khan alleged that the Election Commission had centralised parts of the electoral process by transferring responsibilities traditionally handled by Electoral Registration Officers and Booth Level Officers to officials based in Delhi.

Khan also raised questions about discrepancies emerging from the electoral rolls, particularly in Bihar. He said civil society groups had been able to meet people whose names were removed from the rolls but had not been able to similarly identify or verify many of those whose names were newly added.