SIR amounts to ‘vote theft’, say protesters in Bengaluru
Protesters from the All India Students' Association (AISA) in Bengaluru are demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged unauthorized changes to voter databases. They claim the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is a form of 'vote theft' targeting minority communities.
Why it matters
The protest reflects deep concerns regarding the integrity of electoral processes and the potential for political manipulation of voter rolls.
Demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar for making “massive and unprecedented changes to voter databases”, members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a protest in Bengaluru on Friday as part of a nationwide agitation seeking action against the CEC.
The protesters argued that key decisions relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were pushed through under Mr. Kumar without the authorisation or approval of the other two Election Commissioners, even when the Commissioners had objected to the changes, describing them as “unauthorised and illegal”.
The protesters said that if Mr. Kumar did not resign, they would intensify the agitation and reach out to Opposition parties to press for impeachment proceedings against the CEC in Parliament.
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