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Opposition parties say Election Commission extending schedule shows SIR planned in haste

Opposition parties on Sunday slammed the Election Commissions decision to extend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by a week, saying the move only confirmed that the exercise had been launched in haste and without adequate preparation. The Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party accused the poll body of pushing ahead with impractical timelines that were causing distress to voters and placing an excessive burden on Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said the EC had finally realised that the revision could not be completed within the earlier deadline. He urged the poll panel to follow the more extensive schedule used during the 2003 revision and warned that bypassing discussions on SIR suggested the government was unwilling to let Parliament function. The Trinamool Congress said the ECs decision validated its stance that the SIR was ill-conceived and rolled out without proper groundwork. Senior TMC leader Joyprakash Majumdar claimed that at least 40 people, including BLOs, had died due to stress linked to the revision drive in West Bengal, calling the entire process hasty and politically driven. In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the SIR had become a major trouble for voters and BLOs, arguing that verifying nearly 16 crore voters in a month was impossible. Accusing the EC of acting at the behest of the BJP, he warned that lakhs could be struck off the rolls, as allegedly seen in Bihar. Yadav reiterated his demand for a three-month extension and claimed several BLOs in the state had died due to extreme stress. Despite the criticism, the EC has maintained that the extension, applicable across nine states and three Union Territories was based on internal assessments with state election officials. Under the revised schedule, enumeration forms will be distributed until December 11, draft rolls published on December 16, and final lists released on February 14, 2026. (With inputs from PTI)