New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) O.P. Rawat on Tuesday strongly backed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll carried out by the Election Commission and added that such an exercise “purifies” the voter list.

Speaking to IANS in Bhopal, Rawat said SIR is a routine and essential process undertaken by the Election Commission.

“Before every election, a revision is conducted, and it is the duty of the Election Commission to ensure it happens. The outcomes of these revisions have always been positive, as they purify the electoral rolls. Elections are then conducted on that basis,” Rawat stated.

He clarified that the question of SIR being unnecessary had never arisen earlier.

“In the past, this was never made into an issue, as the need for questioning SIR was not felt,” he said.

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s charge of vote theft under the Commission’s watch, Rawat remarked, “That question should be directed to Rahul Gandhi himself.”

He further underlined that the matter of SIR had no link with governments, past or present. “This is entirely between voters and the Election Commission,” he said.

Rejecting doubts over the legitimacy of election mandates, Rawat asserted, “In all elections conducted so far, there can be no scope for doubt. Mistakes do happen, but whenever complaints are raised, the Election Commission promptly investigates.”

When asked to comment on the presence of opposition-led governments in several states and the Congress’s own gain in other states and in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, even as they question the credibility of the poll panel, he said, “These outcomes are not connected to the Election Commission and hence cannot be commented upon,” Rawat concluded.

His comments come weeks after the issue of SIR in Bihar became a controversial issue, wherein the opposition blamed the poll panel for acting at the behest of the BJP, while the ruling party lauded the Commission for purifying the voter list.

–IANS

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