Because of the big controversy over Deep Voter Revision (SIR), from Parliament to the public, the Election Commission has given voters one extra week to submit their forms. Instead of December 4th, people can now submit their forms to BLOs until December 11th. This is expected to reduce the pressure on BLOs. In Parliament, a heated debate was expected on the very first day. Opposition parties wanted all other work to stop so that the House could discuss this issue in detail, but the government did not agree. As a result, the Lok Sabha could not function properly throughout the day. This kind of conflict is normal in a democracy. The opposition usually questions the government on issues that affect the public. Right now, voter list revision has become a major national issue, and the opposition is continuously raising questions about the Election Commission’s role in it.
On the other hand, the Election Commission is adamant that the voter list revision work in 12 states of the country must be completed within the stipulated timeframe. Due to this, dozens of BLOs have died in various states across the country, and many have even committed suicide. The opposition had previously demanded that criminal action be taken against the Election Commission for suicides, as several state government employees have committed suicide on duty. It is worth noting that the Election Commission deputizes employees from state governments to carry out election-related work. These employees are usually third-class employees who work as BLOs. The BLO suicides have created a perception that they are overburdened, which the Election Commission wants to complete within two months. Of the 12 states in which the Election Commission is currently conducting voter list revision, none are currently having elections. Therefore, it is being argued that the Election Commission could have completed this work within a minimum of six months, thus reducing the workload on the employees. The argument in favor of this is that the last time the voter list revision was undertaken, in 2003, was two years. Considering this, two months seems very short indeed. It suggests the Election Commission is in a hurry and wants to complete its work as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is also hearing several petitions regarding the SIR. It is believed that the Election Commission’s one-week deadline for revisions was based on comments made by learned judges during these hearings. Chief Justice Surya Kant heads the bench hearing the case. Mr. Surya Kant stated that if the petitioners demonstrate to him that there are compelling arguments for extending the deadline, he may order the Election Commission to extend it. Mr. Surya Kant made this comment on November 26th while hearing petitions filed by the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments challenging the SIR. The fundamental question is: why is voter list revision necessary, and why is there such haste? Indeed, the right to vote, which Indian democracy grants to voters, is their most important constitutional right, and its sanctity must be upheld at all costs. The problem of duplicate names in voter lists is not new. Furthermore, the same voter’s name is often found in lists of different states. The Election Commission should certainly make decisive efforts to address these shortcomings, but this does not mean that BLOs should commit suicide. Parliament is in session and will continue until December 19th.
At no cost should a deadlock arise in Parliament over the SIR issue, and an open debate should be held to address such problems in the future.
Of course, there is weight in the argument that this issue cannot be directly discussed in the House, as the Election Commission is an independent and autonomous constitutional body for whose actions the government cannot be held responsible. However, this topic can certainly be discussed under the umbrella of reforming the electoral system. Therefore, both the government and the opposition should reach a consensus. Even before the session began, the opposition made it clear to the government that it wanted a debate on SIR, as it is currently a burning issue and affects people in 12 states. In a democracy, the opposition has every right to raise public concerns in Parliament. But in this system, since the government also belongs to the people, it has to consider all the issues with complete sensitivity.
