CPI M accuses Centre, Election Commission of using SIR to undermine democracy

Thiruvananthapuram:The CPI M Kerala State Secretariat has strongly condemned the Election Commission’s decision to implement the State-wide Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, describing it as an undemocratic and alarming move that disregards Kerala’s scientifically prepared voters’ list and risks large-scale disenfranchisement across the state.

In a statement issued by the party’s state secretariat, the CPI M said the SIR process, modelled on the controversial Bihar exercise, is being hurriedly rolled out across the country with the intention of manipulating voter lists ahead of upcoming elections. The party demanded that the central government withdraw from what it described as an attempt to turn the Election Commission into a puppet and to subvert the democratic system itself.

According to the CPI M, the Commission has already frozen Kerala’s existing voters’ list and begun procedures to implement SIR in the state. Data collection will be conducted between November 4 and December 4, followed by the publication of the draft voters’ list on December 9. The request to postpone the process until after the local body elections was rejected by the Election Commission, a decision the CPI M termed “completely undemocratic.”

The Secretariat said the Commission’s reply, that no notification had been issued regarding the local self-government voters’ list in Kerala, had raised serious concerns. It warned that the process ignored Kerala’s scientifically prepared electoral list and instead relied on outdated records. Kerala is included in the second phase of SIR implementation, and from Monday midnight the existing rolls have been frozen.

The CPI M pointed out that the current revision is based on voters’ lists prepared between 2002 and 2004, replacing the legally valid rolls in force. Calling the move illegal, the party noted that the Supreme Court has not yet delivered its verdict on a petition challenging the SIR process. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, it said, the existing list should form the basis for any revision.

By using the 2002–2004 lists as the foundation, the CPI M warned, more than 50 lakh voters in Kerala could be excluded. The party alleged that the justification of removing names of deceased persons, duplicate entries, migrants and foreigners was merely a cover to implement a citizenship register through the backdoor.

The statement cited Bihar’s experience, where 65 lakh names, predominantly from minority, Dalit and women voters, were deleted under the SIR process. It alleged that this exercise was used to siphon off opposition votes and create conditions favourable to the BJP in the assembly elections.

According to the CPI M, the BJP-led central government, under the control of the Sangh Parivar, has systematically undermined constitutional institutions. The impartiality and credibility of the Election Commission, the party said, have never been questioned so seriously before. After serving as a tool to enforce the BJP’s agenda in Bihar, the Commission is now extending similar intensive revisions to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and other states, it added.

Drawing a parallel with demonetisation, the CPI M described the Bihar exercise as a “vote ban” imposed on the people and warned that the central government is preparing to replicate the same strategy nationwide. The party said the move represents a clear attempt to erode democratic rights and declared that the Election Commission’s actions mark a new phase in the central government’s assault on democracy.