AIADMK on SIR: Denying right to vote murder of democracy

CHENNAI: Stating that denying eligible voters their right to vote is a “murder of democracy”, AIADMK spokesperson and former minister D Jayakumar said it is the primary responsibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to guarantee citizens their democratic right to exercise their franchise.

It is also the ECI’s duty to ensure a 100% accurate electoral roll, free of discrepancies. “Under no circumstances should voters be denied their democratic rights. If this occurs anywhere in the country, it is unacceptable and amounts to a murder of democracy. This is the AIADMK’s position,” said Jayakumar, while responding to questions from media personnel in Delhi regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in poll-bound Bihar, which resulted in the removal of over 52 lakh voters on various grounds.

He said this after submitting the party’s representation to the ECI. He was accompanied by Rajya Sabha members C Ve Shanmugam and IS Inbadurai during the occasion.

“We have pointed out the discrepancies such as duplicate/double entries, mismatches in names and addresses, and instances of deceased individuals appearing on the rolls,” he said and noted that the commission should engage officials to verify the voters’ list and eliminate such discrepancies to ensure a 100% accurate electoral roll.

The party has also urged the ECI to take all necessary measures to ensure free and fair elections and to address systemic flaws. “We requested the ECI to announce the number of votes secured by each party at the end of every single round during counting. This information should also be shared with the public through the media. At present, it is being disclosed only after the final count,” he added.