Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday urged all who value democracy to unite and oppose the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list, describing it as a grave threat to the country’s democratic foundation.
He warned that the process, now being extended to multiple states by the Election Commission of India (ECI), represents a clear attempt to undermine universal suffrage and manipulate electoral rolls for political gain.
In a strongly worded statement, Vijayan said the move by the ECI to carry out the SIR in Kerala and other states “poses a serious challenge to the democratic process.”
He said it raised deep doubts about the intentions of the poll panel and could erode public trust in the country’s electoral system. Vijayan said the criticism that the central authorities are using the SIR as a way to manipulate the voters’ list to their advantage has not been denied in any way, which makes it all the more relevant.
“Even while the constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR is under the consideration of the Supreme Court, the move to extend the same process to other states cannot be viewed as innocent or impartial. Conducting such a special intensive revision,” he said.