Mumbai: Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi, President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Maharashtra, has announced the organisation’s support for the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), expressing concern over allegations that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has resulted in the deletion of voters’ names and over broader allegations of electoral irregularities. He called for necessary measures to ensure accountability, protect the right to vote, and preserve the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.
Elaborating further, Maulana Ilyas Khan said the right to vote is a fundamental pillar of public participation in the democratic process, and that concerns relating to the deletion of voters’ names and the SIR process must be addressed transparently. He said every eligible voter should have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, and that any complaints of irregularities should be investigated in accordance with due legal process.
The JIH Maharashtra chief said that, in light of these concerns, the organisation is demanding immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with a lawful investigation into the allegations against him and appropriate legal action where warranted. He said JIH Maharashtra is also demanding that the names of eligible voters deleted from the electoral rolls be restored, that the ongoing SIR process be halted, and that fresh elections be held in constituencies where credible investigation establishes that electoral irregularities took place.
He further said JIH Maharashtra is demanding the repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the scrapping of the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), the National Population Register (NPR) and related measures. He said concerns over the SIR process should be examined within the broader context of its implications for citizenship, equality and the right to vote.
JIH Maharashtra reiterated the importance of transparency, accountability and due legal process in electoral administration, and called for the protection of the democratic rights of every eligible citizen.
