Opposition Seeks Cancellation of SIR, Restoration of 13 Crore Voters as Murmu Grants Audience

President Droupadi Murmu has granted an audience to members of the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc at 8 pm on Friday amid ongoing protests over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission (EC).
 

Sources in Rashtrapati Bhavan confirmed that the meeting would take place on Friday evening as opposition parties continue their agitation over the poll panel’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
 

The opposition has been protesting for the past three days, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the cancellation of the SIR exercise and the restoration of around 13 crore voters who were removed from electoral rolls during the revision process.
 

The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the Supreme Court has upheld the SIR process. According to the EC, the majority of the voters removed from the lists were deceased, duplicate or ineligible voters.
 

The issue is also under consideration by the Supreme Court, which has sought records from the Election Commission to examine the decision-making process related to the SIR exercise. The court is looking into whether the relevant decisions were taken unanimously or by majority, in accordance with the 1995 law governing the process, or were made unilaterally, as alleged in a media report.
 

During the meeting, opposition leaders are expected to submit a memorandum to President Murmu outlining their concerns over the Election Commission’s functioning and the electoral roll revision exercise.
 

The opposition has also indicated that it will revive proceedings in Parliament seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
 

The meeting comes amid growing political confrontation between opposition parties and the Election Commission over the electoral roll revision process and the removal of voters from the lists.