Mumbai, Nov 29 (IANS) Terming the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process a “huge scam”, Congress leader Husain Dalwai on Saturday claimed that the Election Commission “seems to be acting on instructions”.

Talking to IANS, Dalwai said: “There is a major case of vote theft in the SIR. The Election Commissioner seems to be acting on instructions. They follow the directions of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah. The SIR is a huge scam.”

Currently, the SIR exercise is underway in 12 states and Union Territories, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.

Four poll-bound states and UTs — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry — are conducting the SIR in the current phase. Assam, another election-bound state, will conduct a special revision later due to the ongoing finalisation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The current phase of the SIR will cover 50.99 crore voters. Previous rounds were conducted in 2002 and 2003, except for 37 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, where the revision was carried out in 2005.

The second phase of the SIR will conclude on December 4. Claims and objections may be filed between December 9 and January 8 after the publication of the draft roll. This will be followed by a notice period for hearings and verification.

On India’s GDP growth, which rose to 8.2 per cent in Q2, Dalwai said: “How much of this is true and how much is false, only they know. Their surveys themselves are flawed. On one hand, inflation is rising, the dollar is strengthening, the rupee is falling, and yet they claim the GDP is increasing. What can one say?”

As per the latest data, the real GDP of India, adjusted for inflation, is estimated to grow by 8.2 per cent in Q2 of FY 2025-26 against the growth rate of 5.6 per cent during Q2 of FY 2024-25.

The GDP in Q1 of FY 2025-26 grew at 7.8 per cent against the growth rate of 6.5 per cent during Q1 of FY 2024-25. Nominal GDP has witnessed a growth rate of 8.7 per cent in Q2 of FY 2025-26.

–IANS

jk/vd