SIR row escalates: 23 opposition parties write to CJI, question Election Commission's neutrality

NEW DELHI: In a letter to the Chief Justice of India Tuesday, 23 opposition parties have raised concern about various aspects of the SIR exercise, taking forward their battle against the revision of electoral rolls that they allege is being conducted by a “biased” election commission to help BJP. DMK and AAP have also signed the letter to the CJI despite not being part of the INDIA bloc. The two parties did not attend the meeting of the opposition alliance on June 8 where the decision to write the joint letter was taken — raising the morale in the antiBJP camp ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. AICC spokesman Jairam Ramesh posted on X, “A joint letter signed by 23 political parties plus one Independent has been sent to the CJI today.” The letter has been signed by key opposition members — Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, JMM’s Hemant Soren, NC’s Omar Abdullah, Left politicians, and Independent MP Kapil Sibal, among others. The INDIA bloc did not release the letter. But, sources said, it appeals to the conscience of the judiciary, arguing that it is the only route of relief left for the opposition. The letter is likely to have questioned the role of EC. While clarifying it is not casting aspersions on judiciary, the letter is said to argue that various aspects of SIR make it vulnerable to manipulation. According to an opposition member, the quality of SIR data in states like Bengal has been mentioned. The instances of wrong data, like deceased persons in the poll rolls, have been pointed out by the opposition in the past to question the fairness of the exercise. Also, sources said, opposition has mentioned the varied timeline of SIR in different states, to underline arbitrariness, with examples of Bihar and Tamil Nadu. The opposition wants a calendar for completing the SIR.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.