New Delhi: Congress MP Vijay Kumar, known as Annachi Vijay Vasanth, moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on Monday calling for an urgent debate on what he described as a crisis caused by the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
He said the revision exercise is unplanned, opaque and one sided. He accused the Commission of forcing Booth Level Officers to work under extreme pressure without planning, consultation or basic logistical support. According to him, the rapid verification schedule has created such strain that many BLOs have collapsed during duty, and some have died.
Vasanth said the Commission has not acknowledged or investigated these deaths. He described the silence as institutional cruelty. He added that the lack of transparency has deepened distrust among field staff.
The MP said the public is also facing distress. Repeated verification visits have caused confusion and fear among residents, with many worried about wrongful deletion from voter rolls. He called the entire SIR exercise anti people and anti democratic.
In his motion, Vasanth asked the Centre to suspend the SIR until clear safety protocols and proper timelines are established. He also demanded a full investigation into all reported BLO deaths and compensation for their families.
He further sought structural reforms to make voter roll processes transparent and citizen friendly. He said Parliament must summon the Election Commission to explain the planning and fallout of the SIR. His demand reflects wider criticism from political parties and civil society groups who say the process is hurried and poorly supervised.
By Abdul Bari Masoud
