Shafaqna India: The Election Commission has denied the allegation of large-scale disenfranchisement of voters in West Bengal due to the ongoing SIR of the electoral rolls, terming it as “highly exaggerated” and amplified to serve “vested political interests.”
In an affidavit filed in the top court, the poll panel asserted that the SIR exercise was essential for ensuring purity and integrity of electoral rolls — a constitutional requirement recognised by the Supreme Court in the 1995 TN Seshan versus Union of India case.
The EC said 99.77 per cent of the existing electors had been supplied with pre-filled enumeration forms and 70.14 per cent of filled-in forms had been received. These numbers demonstrated that the petitioner’s allegations regarding errors in implementation, under-inclusiveness and mass disenfranchisement were “highly exaggerated”.
It asserted that no name could be removed without following the procedure laid down in law and that the SIR guidelines themselves contained safeguards to ensure inclusiveness.
The affidavit has been filed in response to a PIL by TMC MP Dola Sen challenging the validity of the SIR orders issued by the panel on June 24 and October 27.