Kiren Rijiju Asks Congress Five Questions on SIR Controversy

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has challenged the Congress to answer five questions concerning its electoral performance, the Election Commission of India and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. His remarks came on Saturday, October 31, a day before the Opposition INDIA bloc’s planned rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan against alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision exercise.

In a post on X, Rijiju questioned why the Congress had suffered repeated Lok Sabha election defeats despite its allegations about the functioning of the Election Commission. He also asked whether the party supported removing ineligible entries from electoral rolls and whether previous Special Intensive Revision exercises should also be considered unlawful.

The minister’s questions added to the political dispute between the BJP and the Congress over electoral integrity. The Opposition has raised concerns about alleged voter deletions and the conduct of the SIR process, while the government and the Election Commission have defended the exercise as part of the process of maintaining accurate electoral rolls. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”0″}

Rijiju’s Five Questions to the Congress

Rijiju said the Congress should explain its position on electoral outcomes and the revision of voter lists. His five questions, as reported in media accounts of his post, covered the party’s performance in the 2014 and 2024 general elections, the status of its state governments, the removal of ineligible names from electoral rolls and earlier revision exercises.

• Congress’s 2014 Lok Sabha result: Rijiju asked how the Congress won only 44 seats in the 2014 general election when the Election Commissioners serving at the time had been appointed under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
• The 2024 Lok Sabha election: He questioned why the Congress lost the election despite Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar not being in office as CEC during the polling process. Kumar had joined the Election Commission before the 2024 election and became its chief in 2025.
• Congress-led state governments: Rijiju asked whether the party’s sitting chief ministers should resign and whether the Congress should apologise for forming governments between 2014 and 2026 if it believed electoral processes had been manipulated in favour of the BJP.
• Removal of ineligible voter entries: He asked whether names of illegal immigrants, deceased voters, people who had moved away and duplicate entries should be removed from electoral rolls.
• Earlier SIR exercises: He questioned whether previous Special Intensive Revision exercises conducted over several decades should also be considered illegal if the Congress was challenging the legitimacy of the current exercise.

These were questions posed by Rijiju as part of his political challenge to the Congress. They do not, by themselves, establish whether the allegations made by either side about electoral processes are correct. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”1″}

What Is the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls?

The Special Intensive Revision is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to verify and update electoral rolls. It involves checking voter details, identifying entries that may no longer be valid and ensuring that eligible citizens are included in the official lists.

According to the Election Commission, the main objective is to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person remains on the electoral roll. The process can include house-to-house verification, publication of draft voter lists and opportunities for citizens to submit claims and objections before the final rolls are published. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”2″}

The Commission has said the exercise is necessary because migration, deaths and multiple registrations can create inaccuracies in voter lists. Its stated objective is to remove entries relating to deceased people, duplicate registrations, permanently shifted electors and individuals who are otherwise not eligible to vote.

However, the exercise has become politically contentious. Opposition parties have questioned the documentation requirements, the possibility of eligible voters being excluded and the transparency of the process. They have argued that the revision could disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including poor people, migrant workers, elderly citizens and those who have difficulty producing the required documents.

The Election Commission has defended the process, saying it is authorised under the Constitution and election laws. It has also maintained that eligible voters have opportunities to submit claims and objections if their names are missing from the draft rolls. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”3″}

Why Congress and the Opposition Are Protesting Against SIR

The Congress and other Opposition parties have made the SIR exercise a central issue in their campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They have alleged that the revision process has resulted in large-scale deletions from electoral rolls and raised concerns about whether adequate safeguards are in place to protect eligible voters.

The Congress has described the exercise as an attempt to take away people’s voting rights and has demanded that it be suspended. The party has also called for Kumar’s resignation and questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the revision process.

On October 29, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh reiterated the party’s allegations, describing SIR as a conspiracy and demanding that the process be halted. These statements represent the Congress’s position in the dispute and remain contested by the Election Commission and the BJP. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”4″}

The Election Commission, in its response to petitions before the Supreme Court, has maintained that its decisions concerning SIR were approved unanimously by its three members. It has also rejected allegations that changes were made to the statutory Form 6 used for voter registration. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”5″}

Election Commission Defends the Revision Process

The Election Commission has argued that updating electoral rolls is part of its constitutional responsibility. It has cited Article 324 of the Constitution and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, as the legal basis for conducting revisions.

In its public explanation of SIR, the Commission has said that the exercise is intended to improve the accuracy and integrity of voter lists. It has emphasised that the process must protect the right of every eligible Indian citizen to be registered while preventing ineligible entries from remaining on the rolls.

The Commission has also pointed to the claims-and-objections process as a safeguard for people whose names may have been omitted or incorrectly removed. Under the procedure, individuals can seek inclusion or correction through the prescribed electoral registration process. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”6″}

The controversy has also reached the Supreme Court, where petitions have raised questions about the legality and administration of the exercise. The Election Commission has defended its decisions in court, while the broader dispute over voter-list accuracy and the protection of eligible electors remains a subject of political and legal debate. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”7″}

Rahul Gandhi Announces INDIA Bloc March in Delhi

Rijiju’s questions came a day before the INDIA bloc’s planned November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi announced the Opposition’s march as part of its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities and the SIR exercise.

The rally is expected to bring together leaders and supporters from several Opposition parties. The alliance intends to use the gathering to demand accountability from the Election Commission and seek the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier said that the march would involve political parties as well as people from civil society and other sections of the public. The Opposition has framed the mobilisation as a campaign to defend voting rights and raise concerns about alleged deletions from voter lists. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”8″}

The rally is scheduled to take place at Ramlila Maidan between 10 am and 5 pm, according to the conditions attached to the Delhi Police’s no-objection certificate. The permission also includes arrangements relating to crowd management, security cameras, speeches and the dispersal of participants. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”9″}

Why the SIR Dispute Has Become a Major Political Issue

The disagreement over SIR has developed into a wider political confrontation over the credibility of electoral institutions and the protection of voting rights. For the Opposition, the central concern is whether the revision process could exclude eligible voters or be implemented without sufficient transparency.

The BJP and the government have rejected the Opposition’s allegations and defended the Election Commission’s authority to update electoral rolls. Rijiju’s five questions are part of that political response, challenging the Congress to explain its position on earlier election results and the principles governing voter-list revision.

At the centre of the dispute are two issues that are important to the electoral system: maintaining accurate voter lists and ensuring that every eligible citizen can exercise the right to vote. Removing duplicate or ineligible entries is an objective recognised by the Election Commission, but the process must also provide safeguards against the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters.

The claims made by the political parties and the Election Commission therefore need to be distinguished from established findings. The BJP’s questions do not independently resolve allegations of irregularities, just as the Opposition’s accusations do not establish wrongdoing without supporting evidence. The legal proceedings and the functioning of the claims-and-objections mechanism remain important to assessing the concerns raised by both sides.

Political Debate Continues Ahead of INDIA Bloc Rally

With the INDIA bloc preparing to gather at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, the exchange between Rijiju and the Congress has added another layer to the dispute over electoral processes. The minister has challenged the party to answer questions about its election results, the removal of ineligible voter entries and the history of intensive revisions.

The Congress and its INDIA bloc partners, meanwhile, are seeking to keep attention on their allegations concerning the current SIR exercise and the Election Commission’s handling of voter lists. Their rally is intended to increase pressure for accountability and draw public attention to the concerns they have raised.

The debate highlights the importance of transparency in electoral administration. Accurate voter lists are essential to conducting elections, but public confidence also depends on ensuring that eligible citizens are not unfairly excluded and that procedures for correcting errors are accessible.

As the political confrontation continues, the key questions will be how effectively the Election Commission addresses concerns about the revision process, whether eligible voters can resolve problems with their registration and how the courts assess the legal challenges. Rijiju’s five questions have sharpened the political exchange ahead of the INDIA bloc rally, but the wider dispute over SIR will ultimately depend on evidence, administrative safeguards and the legal process.