Parliament Winter Session: Continuing throughout Parliament’s Winter Session, the tension between the government and opposition has increased over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The opposition coalition consisting of the INDIA Bloc, representing the major Opposition parties are not satisfied with what they believe are deceptive statements coming from the government and are pledging to ramp up their protests inside and outside Parliament.
With the SIR underway only in 12 States (including the politically significant areas of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, which are preparing for elections in 2021), the government has stated the purpose of SIR is to conduct a routine update of the electoral rolls. The Opposition coalition has expressed serious concerns regarding the validity of the reasons given by the government.
Opposition Raises Concerns Over Voter Disenfranchisement
Opposition leaders say the process isn’t transparent and fear it could be used to target voters who usually support parties opposing the BJP. They draw attention to the fact that Booth Level Officers have been granted significant authority over voter verification, which may result in errors, prejudice, or abuse. Many MPs criticized the timing, which is so close to the upcoming state elections, as suspicious, especially in light of earlier allegations about discrepancies in voter lists.
Government Response Fails to Convince
The government asserts that the Special Intensive Revision is a standard process and guarantees that protections are in place to stop any voters from being wrongfully removed. Despite this, the INDIA bloc remains unconvinced, arguing that promises alone aren’t enough without clear accountability measures. The opposition is now advocating for a comprehensive parliamentary discussion and requesting that the process be put on hold until appropriate safeguards are put in place.
Because neither the ruling party nor the opposition party has shown any willingness to compromise, we can expect each of them to be more serious in their arguments and confrontational towards one another during the winter session of parliament. In the coming days, we will see if this issue will escalate into a major point of contention between the two parties as they prepare for the elections next year.
