STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Forum for Social Harmony-Nagorik Udyog on Friday demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be scrapped in Assam and names of genuine voters deleted during the exercise be restored. Addressing to the media, Prof Taizuddin Ahmed, Harkumar Goswami, Dr Ghanashyam Nath and Manoram Gogoi said the forum had raised concerns over the possible disenfranchisement of genuine voters at a citizens' convention held in Guwahati on September 20.
The forum referred to a recent Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months concerning decisions related to electoral rolls, including changes to Form 6 and the management of the electoral database.
The forum demanded an end to the SIR process, restoration of genuine voters' names and a transparent opportunity to appeal before any voter was removed from the electoral roll. It also sought an independent audit of large-scale deletions and greater transparency and accountability in the Election Commission's decision-making process.
The organisation further demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the SIR process had undermined public confidence in the poll panel. It also called for restructuring the Election Commission and greater independence in the appointment of Election Commissioners.
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