SIR is a Constitutional Process; Congress Exhibiting Irresponsible Behavior: BJP Spokesperson Adv. Yatish Naik

Goa Khabar:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a strong counterattack against the Congress and its alliance partners, asserting that the Special/Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is entirely statutory and constitutional, and that the opposition’s baseless allegations against autonomous bodies stem from political frustration. Addressing a press conference, BJP State Spokesperson Adv. Yatish Naik defended the Election Commission of India (ECI) and condemned the opposition’s conduct.

Adv. Naik explained that the SIR process is not a recent development, but a routine legal procedure executed under the provisions of the Constitution of India and the Representation of the People Act, along with the Registration of Electors Rules. He noted that the entire electoral machinery—from the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners down to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), District Election Officers (DEO), Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), and Booth Level Officers (BLO)—functions under constitutional autonomy.

Updating Electoral Rolls a Legal Necessity

Highlighting the objective of the revision, Adv. Naik stated that periodic verification of electoral rolls is mandatory under the law to reflect demographic changes. Over time, voters pass away, change residential addresses, migrate, or acquire foreign nationality. The SIR exercise ensures additions, deletions, and corrections so that no eligible citizen is disenfranchised and no ineligible person remains on the voter list. He added that such intensive revisions have routinely taken place across the country, with Goa conducting a similar exercise in 2002.

Full Mechanism for Claims and Objections

Addressing claims of procedural opacity, Adv. Naik pointed out that the statutory framework enables political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to oversee the process. Furthermore, transparent mechanisms exist for filing claims and objections, followed by formal quasi-judicial hearings by designated officers. He referenced the detailed joint statement issued by the Election Commission on September 26, which exhaustively placed all procedural facts before the public. Under Article 324, the ECI holds full constitutional authority to conduct and supervise these processes.

Pattern of Attacking Constitutional Institutions

Adv. Naik criticized Congress for routinely undermining democratic watchdogs whenever faced with political adversity. He charged that instead of engaging with facts, the opposition aims to whip up a public frenzy and question the integrity of the Election Commission. He drew parallels with past attacks by Congress and Rahul Gandhi on other constitutional and statutory bodies, including the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

Rebranding From UPA to INDIA Alliance

Taking a dig at the opposition coalition, Naik said that having faced public rejection due to governance failures and corruption during the UPA era, the Congress merely rebranded the alliance as ‘INDIA’ to escape accountability—describing it as “old wine in a new bottle”. He remarked that Congress resembles the Konkani proverb where a poor dancer blames the crooked courtyard (“nātsunk yeṇālyāk āṅgaṇ vāṅkde”), choosing to target constitutional institutions rather than introspecting on its repeated electoral defeats. He concluded that such behavior is unbecoming of a responsible opposition party.