NEW DELHI: The Special Intensive Revision norms for electoral roll updates triggered an intense debate in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, with opposition parties questioning the legality, transparency and neutrality of the ongoing exercise. Several MPs demanded clarity from the government and accountability from the ECI.Concerns over the welfare of booth-level officers added urgency to the debate. Rising health-related cases among BLOs, including instances of cardiac arrest and suicides attributed to mounting work pressure, have been reported from multiple states. Lawmakers highlighted the immense stress faced by BLOs during the SIR process, prompting a fiery discussion in the parliamentary session.Congress MP Manish Tewari said it was “unfortunate that many members here are having to raise questions on the neutrality of the Election Commission of India.” He argued that the first step toward restoring confidence should be reforming the selection process for election commissioners, stating that “the first reform that should happen is an amendment to the law governing the selection of members of the Election Commission. My suggestion is that the LoP Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India should be added to the committee of the Election Commission.” Tewari questioned the legal basis of the ongoing revision exercise, saying “SIR is ongoing in many states in the country, but the Election Commission of India has no legal justification to hold SIR.” He demanded that the government explain its rationale in writing, asserting, “I demand the government present before the Parliament the reasons in writing for conducting SIR in different constituencies.”Raising concerns about the electronic voting process, Tewari said the public feared possible manipulation. “I am not saying that EVMs are being manipulated, but the public is concerned that EVMs could be manipulated. Either ensure 100% VVPAT matching or go back to ballot paper, we have no other choice. I had asked who stores the EVM source codes, and I have not received the answer yet.”Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav highlighted the human cost of the exercise, claiming that “till now, 10 BLOs have lost their lives in the state during the ongoing SIR process.” He demanded compensation and support for their families. “We demand that families of the deceased BLOs be given Rs 1 crore as ex gratia amount and govt job be given to one member of the deceased’s family.”The debate is expected to continue as the government prepares its formal response.
