P Chidambaram, a senior Congress leader and former Union minister, fired a salvo in Delhi on Wednesday by demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, and the restoration of 13.3 crore names that the party says were wrongfully deleted—an attack that follows the CWC’s earlier resolution demanding the same three points.
The SIR exercise, launched earlier this year, aimed to purge ineligible voters but has been criticised for removing legitimate names on flimsy grounds such as “unable to fill Form 6” or “address not found.” Chidambaram warned that 14% of India’s adult population—roughly 200 million people—could be affected by these deletions, a figure that the Congress claims is based on the 13.3 crore names already removed.
In West Bengal, 82,782 appeals were heard by appellate tribunals, with 75,443 names—about 91%—being reinstated to the rolls. Chidambaram cited the case to question the BJP’s defence of the CEC, pointing out that the same appeals were overturned by judges in the state, suggesting a pattern of misuse. He also asked the BJP to explain the basis for the deletions, demanding transparency in the decision‑making file that reportedly led to the SIR.
Inside the Election Commission, two commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—have recorded at least 14 disagreements over the past ten months regarding SIR orders issued without their knowledge or recommendation. The Commission has dismissed these as normal institutional deliberations, insisting that its orders remain legally sound.
The Congress Working Committee will meet on June 5 to decide whether to file a formal motion to the Supreme Court challenging the SIR and to consider a petition for the CEC’s resignation. Opposition parties, meanwhile, are coordinating a joint action plan that could see mass agitations and fresh demands for the CEC’s removal.
In Kolkata, a family whose name was removed from the roll last year won a court order to have it reinstated, a relief that underscores the human cost behind the numbers. The family’s mother, 56‑year‑old Rani Devi, said the delay had forced her to travel two hours to vote, a hardship she hopes will not repeat for others.