New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday demanded an immediate freeze on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) categorisation amounts to the removal of over 10 crore legitimate voters.
Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, challenged the administrative metrics used to justify omissions from voter databases, questioning the terminology and its impact.
Pointing to the statistical breakdown, Ramesh stated, “ASDD sounds like a medical disorder, but this term is constantly being used to defend the illegal and unconstitutional SIR. What does it mean?”
Elaborating on the specific composition of the missing entries under these categories, he further noted, “The first D refers to the Dead, who account for around 20% of the deletions. The second D refers to Duplicates, who make up about 8% of the deletions. That means that A (Absent) and S (Shifted) plus others amount to over 10 Crore legitimate voters who have been removed from the electoral roll.”
Drawing on a published explainer, comparing SIR 2002-04 and 2025-26, the senior Congress leader argued that the current revision framework departs sharply from historical protocols by unfairly shifting the burden of proof onto ordinary citizens and enabling the abuse of Form 7 deletions.
He wrote, “This explainer in a leading news daily highlights how the design of the current SIR is a Method Of Disenfranchising Indians. Unlike past SIR exercises, it excludes voters who have shifted, places the burden of proof on the voter, relies excessively on flawed software and enables abuse of Form 7 deletions.”
Jairam Ramesh further called for remedial action, asserting the SIR process should not be continued.
“The SIR process must be frozen, and all legitimate voters must be restored to the electoral roll,” Jairam Ramesh wrote.
Earlier today, stepping up his attack on the Centre, Congress MP and party spokesperson Pawan Khera launched a sharp retort to Union Minister Piyush Goyal, questioning the unprecedented nature of the ongoing protests against the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Khera sought to highlight the gravity of the current political standoff, questioning whether any Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in the country’s history had ever faced such widespread public and institutional dissent.
Talking to ANI in the national capital here, Khera questioned the legitimacy of the current election management, citing the widespread protests as a reflection of deep-seated public dissatisfaction.
“Did any Election Commissioner ever oppose one of our Chief Election Commissioners? Did a mob ever take to the streets against any CEC? Did the entire opposition ever march on foot to the Supreme Court to protest against any CEC?” Pawan Khera asked.
The Congress leader’s remarks came in response to Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s statements regarding the ongoing opposition agitation. Khera asserted that the current situation is unique, suggesting that the scale of the protest is a direct result of alleged irregularities under the current leadership of the poll body.
The Congress, along with other opposition parties, has been staging protests demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging large-scale deletion of voter names and a “targeted attack” on the democratic rights of citizens.
Khera’s comments further escalate the confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition, as the latter continues to press for institutional accountability regarding the electoral process.
Earlier, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday branded Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as the “biggest red flag” for the Congress party, challenging him to answer 10 questions regarding SIR, the electoral process, and claims of vote theft.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Goyal accused him of repeatedly causing electoral setbacks for his party. Challenging Gandhi to respond to a set of 10 questions, Goyal accused the Congress party of hypocrisy when questioning election authorities.
“I challenge Rahul Gandhi to answer these 10 questions. Several people consider Rahul Gandhi the biggest red flag because of whom the Congress is losing again and again. Youth calls bad omen, a red flag. Rahul Gandhi is the biggest red flag for Congress,” he said.
Further, Goyal alleged that Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues mistreated a woman journalist who was three months pregnant while she was attempting to cover the demonstration.
“Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues misbehaved with a woman journalist who is 3 months pregnant. She was only covering their protest. I don’t think the 140 crore people of the country or any journalist would ever forgive this,” he said.
He further alleged that several Congress leaders are speaking against Gandhi, highlighting that Shashi Tharoor had claimed that Congress won in Kerala because of the SIR, as removing duplicate and deceased names prevented malpractice.
He noted, “Ramesh Chennithala claimed that Congress won in Kerala because of the SIR, and Pinarayi Vijayan praised the SIR.” (ANI)
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