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Lavasa Urges Scrapping SIR Phase 3 Amid Election Commission Dispute
Ashok Lavasa, a former election official, is worried about how voter lists are being changed.
He says the Election Commission should explain disagreements among its members.
Two current commissioners reportedly objected to some decisions, but the Commission says all decisions were unanimous.
Lavasa also wants Phase 3 of the voter-list review, called SIR, to stop.
He says the process of matching voters and finding mistakes has not been explained clearly.
He also questions whether officials can change Form 6 without following legal rules.
In West Bengal, 38 lakh people appealed after names were removed.
Lavasa says 93% of decided appeals supported voters whose names were wrongly deleted.
The Commission says its decisions followed the law and normal institutional procedures.
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa urged the Election Commission to scrap Phase 3 of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Lavasa said the Commission must clarify whether reported objections by Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi amounted to formal dissent.
He questioned reported changes linking Form 6 voter applications to the SIR process, saying required legal procedures may not have been followed.
Lavasa cited 38 lakh appeals in West Bengal and said 93% of disposed cases favored voters whose names had been wrongfully deleted.
The Election Commission said its decisions over the past year were unanimous and that written observations and technical suggestions are normal deliberations.
- Who
- Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, current Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and the Election Commission.
- What
- Lavasa called for Phase 3 of the Special Intensive Revision to be scrapped and demanded clarification about reported objections, Form 6 changes, and voter deletions.
- Where
- Phase 3 is underway across 16 states and three Union Territories; Lavasa cited appeals from West Bengal.
- When
- Lavasa served on the Election Commission from 2018 to 2020; Phase 3 is currently underway after earlier phases in 2025 and early 2026.
- Why
- Lavasa said voter mapping, logical discrepancies, the deletion process, and the legal basis for Form 6 changes remain insufficiently explained.
Transparency and Process Concerns
Election Commission Defense
Nature of internal disagreements
Transparency and Process Concerns
Lavasa said the Commission must clarify whether the reported objections were formal dissent and explain decisions point by point if they were.
Election Commission Defense
The Election Commission said written notes, observations, and technical suggestions are normal parts of institutional deliberation and maintained that decisions were unanimous.
Form 6 changes
Transparency and Process Concerns
Lavasa said the Commission cannot change Form 6 independently and may have needed to amend the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Election Commission Defense
The Election Commission said its decisions, including those concerning Form 6 and SIR, were taken according to law and established procedures.
Phase 3 and voter deletions
Transparency and Process Concerns
Lavasa said Phase 3 should be discontinued because mapping and logical discrepancies were unexplained, citing appeal results that he said raised questions about deletions.
Election Commission Defense
The Election Commission has continued the SIR process and rejected apprehensions about its decision-making, without accepting Lavasa's call to stop Phase 3.
Key facts
- Main demand
- Ashok Lavasa called for Phase 3 of the SIR to be scrapped.
- SIR scope
- Phase 3 is underway across 16 states and three Union Territories.
- Reported objections
- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly objected to several Election Commission decisions.
- Form 6 issue
- The reported changes linked new voter applications to the SIR process.
- West Bengal appeals
- At least 38 lakh appeals were filed after the second SIR phase.
- Appeal outcomes
- Lavasa said 93% of disposed cases favored voters whose names had been wrongfully deleted.
- Election Commission position
- The Commission said decisions taken during the past year were unanimous and followed law and established procedures.
Quotes
Ashok Lavasa
Former Election Commissioner who served on the Election Commission from 2018 to 2020
“My very considered view in the matter is that Phase 3 of the SIR should be scrapped because things like mapping and logical discrepancies have not been explained to the people.”
NDTV
“93% of the cases, which have been decided by the appellate tribunal, have been in favour of people who have been wrongfully deleted.”
NDTV
Sources
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