New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) As the discussion on electoral reforms is underway in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that the Election Commission has also introduced reforms to ensure full voting rights for citizens and that there should be no opposition to such measures.

Speaking to IANS, Anurag Thakur said, “Regarding election reforms, I will only say this: in the last ten years, the Narendra Modi government has removed thousands of outdated laws from the British era, and in Independent India, new laws have been enacted to bring positive change to people’s lives.”

“Now, the Election Commission came up with electoral reforms to give full rights to voters. There should not be any resistance to this. During the Bihar elections, not a single person claimed that their vote had been deleted. Political parties also had ample time to raise objections but none said that they were prevented from voting,” he added.

Electoral reforms are at the centre of an extended and politically-charged debate in the Lok Sabha today, with the House allocating 10 hours for a detailed discussion during the Winter Session of Parliament.

The ongoing debate is expected to cover a wide range of concerns, including the role of the Election Commission, transparency in campaign financing, preventing candidates with criminal backgrounds from contesting elections, the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The government has maintained that the exercise aims to strengthen electoral integrity and make the democratic process more transparent and accountable. The Opposition, however, is expected to raise concerns about the fairness of elections and question proposals such as “One Nation, One Election.”

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi is set to lead the high-stakes debate in the Lower House on Tuesday on electoral reforms and the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories by the Election Commission of India.

Top Opposition leaders, including former Union Minister Manish Tewari, Congress organisational general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and senior leaders from parties such as the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, are expected to participate in the debate, which will continue for two days.

The Election Commission announced the SIR exercise to remove duplicate entries and ensure that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible voter remains on the rolls.

–IANS

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