AMN / NEW DELHI
The Welfare Party of India has decided to launch a nationwide campaign against alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls, describing the issue as a threat to voting rights and democratic participation. The party has called on its state organisations, political parties, civil society groups and citizens to join the campaign under the slogan of “saving the vote and saving democracy.”
Welfare Party National General Secretary Dr S. Q. R. Ilyas at a Press Conference here alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was being implemented without sufficient legal and democratic safeguards. He claimed that the exercise had affected nearly 13.35 crore voters across the country, while in Delhi alone around 47.56 lakh names were reportedly deleted and notices served to another 31.64 lakh people.
Ilyas questioned the Election Commission’s criteria for voter verification, particularly the requirement of mapping voters with their parents or grandparents in older electoral rolls. He argued that such requirements could disproportionately affect new voters, women, migrant workers, Muslims and Dalits, especially where people were unable to produce the required documentation.
He also raised questions over the use of “logical discrepancies” as a basis for scrutiny, citing cases where differences in the recorded ages of parents and children could allegedly put otherwise genuine voters under suspicion.
According to Ilyas, even people whose names had appeared on electoral rolls for years and who had previously exercised their franchise had received notices without clear justification. Referring to West Bengal, he claimed that around 27 lakh people had been affected and could potentially remain deprived of their voting rights for several elections because of the prolonged verification process.
Ilyas further criticised the Election Commission for what he described as an inadequate response to questions surrounding the SIR exercise. He alleged that instead of the Commission addressing the concerns directly, BJP leaders were responding to them. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the issue by the Supreme Court and called for stronger judicial intervention.
The Welfare Party said recent reports concerning irregularities in the ECI, including revelations reported by The Indian Express on September 23–24, had reinforced its concerns. The party alleged that the SIR was not merely an electoral-roll revision but had resulted in systematic disenfranchisement.
It also referred to alleged differences within the Election Commission, claiming that two Election Commissioners had recorded dissent 14 times in 10 months against decisions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, including alleged unilateral and unauthorised changes to Form-6. The party argued that an election conducted on the basis of a compromised electoral roll could not be considered genuinely free and fair.
The party alleged that genuine voters, particularly women, migrants, Muslims and Dalits, were being deleted under categories such as “logical discrepancy”, while young and first-time voters were facing difficulties in enrolling through Form-6. It cited alleged arbitrary rejections, repeated demands for documents, Booth Level Officers not visiting applicants and prolonged problems with the ERO Net and voter service portals.