New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday expressed surprise over the Opposition’s repeated demands for an end to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list without addressing issues of electoral reforms that the Lok Sabha discussion specifically intended to discuss.

SIR, he contended, is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), and it is the poll body that can answer specific queries, not the government.

He said that as per Article 324 (1) of the Constitution of India, the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every State and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President shall be vested in a Commission (the ECI).

He also pointed out that there are legal provisions for the poll body to establish the fact that any person on the electoral roll is a citizen of India, or not.

The Home Minister said that Article 326 in the Constitution mentions elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and to the Legislative Assemblies of States (Vidhan Sabha) to be based on adult suffrage.

According to this, he said, voting right can be exercised by a person who is a citizen of India, is not less than 18 years of age, and is not otherwise disqualified under the Constitution or any law made by the appropriate Legislature on the ground of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice.

“Among the conditions listed, citizenship and residence are entitlements to be registered as a voter at any such election,” he said.

The Home Minister further said that Article 327 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to make provision with respect to elections to Legislatures, where subject to its provisions, the House may “from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in Connection with, elections to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State including the preparation of electoral rolls, the delimitation of constituencies and all other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses.

Shah said that it was on the demand of the Opposition that a discussion was held in Parliament, where the MPs were expected to discuss electoral reforms, and with the consent of the House, enact or rectify any law needed to strengthen the poll process.

“Instead, they chose to reiterate doubts over the conduct of SIR and raise allegations over disenfranchisement of what they consider bonafide voters by the ECI to help the government,” he said.

The Home Minister said that there have been protests inside and outside the Parliament over SIR despite the process having been held nine times, mostly under a Congress government, since the first election was held.

“Opposition MPs have even marched to the ECI office in Delhi, demanding the poll body’s clarifications on the revision process,” he said.

Shah pointed out that when the ECI invited a delegation to meet them and air their grievances, the leaders refused, asking it to allow all the protesters in.

“Late November, before the Winter Session of Parliament convened, a delegation of MPs from the Trinamool Congress did sit face-to-face with the Chief Election Commissioner and his colleagues to discuss the SIR process currently underway in 12 states and union territories, including West Bengal,” he said.

Shah said that phase one of the current round of SIR has already been completed in Bihar, where Assembly elections were held recently, without any significant protests from the Opposition parties over “mass disenfranchisement” after its end.

–IANS

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