Democracy will be strengthened when our right to vote respected: Oppn escalates attack over SIR in Parliament

New Delhi: The Opposition on Monday intensified its attack on the government over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with senior leaders across parties alleging large-scale voter deletions, irregularities, and attempts at “vote chori.”

Several prominent voices warned that the integrity of India’s democratic process was being undermined, demanding an immediate debate in Parliament and a transparent probe into the SIR exercise.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav issued one of the strongest statements yet, saying, “After the country’s Independence, we were given the right to cast our vote. Since the Bharatiya Janata Party lost, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there has been unrest within the BJP. Democracy will only be strengthened when our right to vote is fully respected and not taken away. The concerns regarding SIR are now turning into reality. If a voter’s vote is lost, how will their dreams be fulfilled?”

“A voter dreams that their vote should be counted. When they fully exercise their right to vote, they are fulfilling their own dreams. If they are upset with someone, they vote against them; if they support someone, they vote in their favour,” he added.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari underscored the constitutional responsibility to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.

He said, “To protect democracy, if there are irregularities in the voter list or if fraud is taking place, it should be discussed. We are raising these questions and a democratic response should be provided. Discussions on election-related issues have already taken place before.”

Echoing similar concerns, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said that the ongoing issues with the electoral revision were too serious to ignore.

“The manner in which the election process is being carried out in the country must be addressed. Votes are being removed and fake voting is taking place. These issues regarding the election process need to be discussed,” he said.

The sharp remarks came amid a chaotic day inside the Lok Sabha, where the Winter Session was disrupted not once but twice due to vociferous protests by Opposition MPs. The House was first adjourned shortly after 11 a.m. and again at noon, forced into another adjournment until 2 p.m., as MPs stormed the Well shouting slogans of “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor!”

Opposition members charged the government with orchestrating a “conspiracy to delete genuine voters” through the SIR exercise in 12 states and union territories. They waved placards and demanded an immediate discussion on what they called a direct threat to India’s electoral democracy.

Deputy Speaker Sandhya Rai, who was in the Chair, repeatedly appealed for order, assuring that none of the 20-plus adjournment notices submitted by the Opposition had been rejected and that the issue could be taken up if the House allowed normal proceedings. But her pleas failed as the uproar continued.

Before the protests overwhelmed proceedings, the Lok Sabha managed to clear a few routine items of business. However, with Opposition parties continuing to link SIR irregularities to broader concerns over democratic accountability, the issue is expected to dominate the session in the coming days.

IANS