The ECI (Election Commission of India) will hold a meeting of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all States and Union Territories on September 10, to assess the preparedness for rolling out a nationwide SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls.
A senior EC official told The Hindu that though this was a routine ECI meeting, the focus would be on the preparations underway to roll out the SIR of the electoral rolls across the country. This exercise is underway in Bihar and has been strongly opposed by the RJD-Congress-led opposition alliance.
The opposition questions the intention and timing of the move and alleges that this exercise is being conducted to benefit the BJP-led NDA. They ask why it’s conducted barely a few months before the election. Opposition leaders also point out that the Bihar SIR coincides with the ongoing rainy seasons in the state, which paralyses dozens of districts with floods; in such a situation the arrangement of documents to submit for Special Intensive Revision will be very difficult.
However, ECI rejects these allegations and states that SIR is necessary, as it has not been done in a long time.
