Former CEC SY Qureshi has criticized the amendment in the voter list, calling it a mess with democracy. He said that the intentions of the Election Commission are not right, names of crores of voters have been removed. According to Qureshi, voting is a constitutional right, not a bailout of the Commission.
New Delhi [भारत]July 13 (ANI): Sharply criticizing the way the Election Commission conducted the Special Electoral Revision (SIR) in various states, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Qureshi on Monday said the exercise was not done with good intentions and the way it has removed names of crores of voters is “playing with democracy”.
Voting rights, not donation from Election Commission
In an interview with ANI, Qureshi said that voting is a constitutional right. He said that the right to vote is not a donation given by the Election Commission. He said, “I feel the entire SIR exercise has not been done with good intentions. The way it has removed the names of crores of voters, it is playing with democracy. You are a citizen of India. I am a citizen of India. Voting is our constitutional right. Article 326 says everyone should be registered. So this is not some charity from the Election Commission that they will give you.”
27 lakh voters affected in Bengal elections
Qureshi said the Election Commission was “making the lives of voters difficult”. He said that during the Bengal elections, 27 lakh voters could not cast their votes and this had an impact on the results. He also said that “the Supreme Court also let us down” as it did not come to the rescue of citizens. He said, “They are making the lives of voters difficult. 27 lakh voters in Bengal could not vote. This affected the results. Was this the intention? Perhaps it was so. I think the Supreme Court also disappointed us by not coming to the rescue of the citizens of India… Later, the Chief Ministers of Bengal, Bihar, Assam are saying that if your name is not in the voter list, you will lose many other rights.”
Opposition parties also criticized
Opposition parties have criticized the way the SIR exercise is conducted in several states, including Bihar and Bengal. He has said that this exercise may affect eligible voters. The Election Commission has said that the purpose of this amendment is to ensure accurate and updated voter list. (ANI)
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