Raipur: The national debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists intensified on Wednesday after senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission, alleging widespread irregularities and deepening concerns over the treatment of Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Speaking to reporters, Pilot said that while voter list revisions have occurred several times in the past, this year’s SIR has triggered unprecedented questions, particularly due to reports of stress-related deaths and suicides among BLOs in multiple states.
“The SIR has been launched in several states. SIR has been conducted many times before, but this time many questions are being raised,” he said. Pilot expressed serious concern over the human impact of the process, adding, “In many states, BLOs are committing suicide.”
He stressed that the Congress Party fully supports removing invalid or duplicate voters, but warned against what he described as deliberate targeting of vulnerable communities.
“We do not want a single invalid voter on the list. But if a citizen of this country—poor, Dalit, backward—is deliberately removed despite having the right to vote, the Congress Party will not tolerate this injustice,” Pilot said.
He also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission during the ongoing SIR exercise. “If the Election Commission’s intentions are not impartial, if it is not working selflessly and is working under pressure, then we will expose it,” he declared.
Pilot announced that the Congress Party will hold a massive public gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on December 14, where the opposition plans to raise concerns about the SIR, voter rights, and what it calls the increasing assault on democratic institutions.
