1 hr ago
Opposition Demands Fresh Polls After Election Commission SIR Row
Several opposition leaders are questioning how voter lists and elections were handled.
They say some voters may have been wrongly removed from the lists.
Mamata Banerjee wants a new election in West Bengal using the older voter list.
Uddhav Thackeray wants elections in three states to be held again with paper ballots.
Akhilesh Yadav has asked the Supreme Court to examine the allegations.
M.K. Stalin wants the voter-list revision stopped in Tamil Nadu.
The leaders also criticized Election Commission officials and demanded investigations or punishment.
The Election Commission says its decisions were made together and followed the rules.
Mamata Banerjee demanded fresh West Bengal Assembly elections using voter lists from before the Special Intensive Revision.
Uddhav Thackeray called for recent elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to be nullified and rerun using ballot papers.
Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Samajwadi Party supporters were systematically removed from Uttar Pradesh voter rolls during the revision process.
M.K. Stalin demanded that the electoral-roll revision be stopped in Tamil Nadu and that the Election Commission’s functioning be investigated.
The Election Commission said decisions on the revision were unanimous and that internal observations were part of normal institutional deliberations.
- Who
- Opposition leaders Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and M.K. Stalin, along with the Election Commission of India.
- What
- Opposition parties demanded fresh elections, investigations and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls after reports of internal objections within the poll panel.
- Where
- The demands concern West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
- When
- The demands gathered momentum on Wednesday after a report about objections raised during the revision process.
- Why
- Opposition leaders cited alleged voter deletions, electoral malpractice and reported disagreements within the Election Commission; the commission said its decisions were unanimous and followed statutory procedures.
Opposition Leaders
Election Commission of India
Validity of recent elections
Opposition Leaders
Opposition leaders argued that alleged voter exclusions, malpractice and failures during the revision process undermine confidence in elections and justify fresh polls.
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission maintained that its decisions were unanimous and followed established statutory procedures.
Internal disagreements
Opposition Leaders
Opposition leaders cited a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected repeatedly to decisions connected with the revision and demanded accountability.
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission rejected the suggestion of a split, saying written observations and internal differences are normal parts of institutional deliberations.
Voter-list revision
Opposition Leaders
Leaders demanded restoration of older voter lists, a halt to the revision in Tamil Nadu and scrutiny of alleged large-scale voter deletions.
Election Commission of India
The commission defended the process by stating that decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision were taken unanimously.
Key facts
- Central issue
- The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and reported internal objections within the Election Commission.
- West Bengal demand
- Mamata Banerjee called for fresh Assembly elections using the pre-revision voter list.
- Repoll proposal
- Uddhav Thackeray sought fresh elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu using ballot papers.
- Uttar Pradesh allegation
- Akhilesh Yadav alleged systematic deletion of Samajwadi Party supporters from voter lists.
- Tamil Nadu demand
- M.K. Stalin called for the revision to be halted and for an investigation into the Election Commission.
- Election Commission response
- The commission said revision decisions were unanimous and that written observations were part of normal institutional deliberations.
- Additional state
- Calls for fresh polls have also emerged in connection with Bihar.
Quotes
Mamata Banerjee
Former West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress leader
“It has now been proven that the BJP and the EC looted the Bengal assembly polls. The old voter lists must be restored, and in states where elections were conducted after EVMs were captured or hijacked and voters were prevented from exercising their rights, fresh elections should be held based on the old voter lists.”
telegraphindia.com
“Samajwadi Party voters were systematically deleted from the Election Commission's voters list. We brought this to the notice of the Election Commission, but no action was taken against anyone. Rampant malpractice was committed on a massive scale in the by-elections.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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