Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Tharoor Says SIR Row Threatens Citizens’ Voting Rights
Shashi Tharoor says every eligible Indian citizen should be allowed to vote.
He called the reported effort to block voters a serious threat to democracy.
His comments came after reports that two election commissioners had raised objections many times.
The Election Commission said these were normal questions and suggestions during decision-making.
It denied that the objections showed disagreement over final decisions.
Tharoor said it is worse to stop many eligible people from voting than to let a few ineligible people vote.
He planned to discuss the issue with Congress leaders.
The discussion was expected at the Congress Working Committee meeting.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the alleged conspiracy is to deprive Indian citizens of their constitutional right to vote.
His remarks followed reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months.
The Election Commission of India said the objections were operational inputs during the normal draft-stage decision-making process.
Tharoor argued that allowing a few ineligible people to vote would be preferable to disenfranchising large numbers of eligible citizens.
He said the issue would be discussed at length at the upcoming Congress Working Committee meeting.
- Who
- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the Election Commission of India, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
- What
- Tharoor accused an alleged effort of threatening citizens’ voting rights, while the Election Commission rejected the suggestion that internal objections showed institutional dissent.
- When
- Tharoor made the remarks on Monday; the reported objections occurred at least 14 times over 10 months.
- Where
- Thiruvananthapuram, with the wider issue concerning India’s electoral process.
- Why
- The comments followed a report about objections allegedly raised by two election commissioners over decisions said to have been taken without their knowledge.
Tharoor’s Criticism
Election Commission’s Response
Meaning of the reported objections
Tharoor’s Criticism
Tharoor described the situation as a serious assault on democracy and said citizens could be deprived of their constitutional right to vote.
Election Commission’s Response
The Election Commission said the objections were operational questions, inputs, and suggestions raised during the draft stage, not evidence of institutional dissent over final decisions.
Voting safeguards
Tharoor’s Criticism
Tharoor said it would be preferable for a few people without voting rights to cast ballots than for large numbers of eligible citizens to lose their vote.
Election Commission’s Response
The article does not state a specific response from the Election Commission to Tharoor’s comparison.
- Main speaker
- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor
- Reported objections
- At least 14 objections over 10 months
- Officials named
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi
- Election Commission position
- Operational queries, inputs, and suggestions were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process.
- Tharoor’s position
- Protecting eligible citizens’ voting rights is more important than preventing a small number of ineligible votes.
- Planned discussion
- The issue was expected to be discussed at the Congress Working Committee meeting.