New Delhi — Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has accused the Election Commission (EC) of functioning as a “puppet” in the hands of the Modi government. Speaking critically about the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Sibal termed the move “unconstitutional” and claimed it was intended to ensure that majoritarian governments remain in power, reported the Hindu.
In a recent interview, the former Union Law Minister questioned the EC’s authority in conducting the revision exercise and alleged that each new Election Commissioner has shown increasing alignment with the government.
“The Election Commission doesn’t have the jurisdiction to decide issues of citizenship — certainly not through block-level officers,” Sibal said. “This entire process is designed to delete names of the poor, the marginalised, the adivasis, ensuring that only the majoritarian party benefits.”
Referring to the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar — being carried out after 22 years — the EC has maintained that the drive aims to clean the voters’ list by removing ineligible and duplicate entries and adding legitimate voters.
Sibal, however, remained unconvinced. “It’s not just about voter list revision; it’s about manipulating the democratic process. This is extremely worrisome,” he said.
He added that the Monsoon Session of Parliament must give priority to this issue. “The SIR is more serious than many other matters being discussed today,” he stressed, adding that the EC had yet to clarify sudden voter spikes in constituencies recently won by the BJP in Maharashtra.
Sibal refrained from commenting on the Supreme Court’s interim order on the matter, stating that he is a counsel involved in the case. However, he expressed hope that the EC would adhere to the court’s direction to prevent further controversy.
Recently, the Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission to continue the revision exercise in Bihar, which includes over 7 crore voters, while also directing the poll panel to consider Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and ration cards as valid identity proofs.
The bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, underscored three key concerns: the EC’s authority to conduct the revision, the manner and procedure of the process, and the limited timeline given for drafting and finalizing electoral rolls.
Although the poll panel, represented by senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi, K K Venugopal, and Maninder Singh, objected to the court’s suggestion regarding documents, the court clarified that the EC is free to evaluate them, but must provide justifiable reasons if it chooses to discard any.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 28, with the EC directed to submit its response within a week, followed by rejoinders from petitioners.
