Congress delegation meets Maha Chief Electoral Officer, demands impartial SIR

Maharashtra Congress delegation met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Chockalingam connected Thursday (April 2, 2026) and submitted a memorandum, demanding that the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) workout of electoral rolls should beryllium successful a “fair and transparent manner”. 

“The complaints that voters belonging to circumstantial castes and religions were deliberately excluded, large-scale irregularities person been reported successful SIR drives that mightiness person benefited the ruling party,” said State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, demanding that the SIR workout successful Maharashtra beryllium carried retired impartially and without haste. 

The memorandum read, “The SIR workout successful different states of India was implemented hastily up of the elections, creating the ambiance of confusion, panic, suspicion, and distrust of the system. So we contiguous our concerns and suggestions.” 

The memorandum was authorised by Congress Legislature Party person Vijay Wadettiwar, erstwhile curate and Congress Working Committee subordinate Naseem Khan, AICC Secretary and Telangana co-incharge Sachin Sawant, State General Secretary Adv. Sandesh Kondvilkar and State General Secretary Abhijit Sapkal.

Mr Sapkal besides pointed retired that the SIR process was antecedently conducted successful Maharashtra betwixt 2002 04 implicit a play of astir 13 months. Similarly, aft 25 years, the process should beryllium planned keeping successful caput the summation of 3.5 crore voters. Even if the process takes 1.5 to 2 years, determination is nary haste arsenic the authorities has nary elections lined up for the adjacent 2–3 years. 

Congress has besides asked for SIR information successful brushed copy, OCR, oregon machine-readable formats, arsenic good arsenic hard copies, with a minimum one-month play to rise objections and respond to notices related to the SIR.

“Before deleting immoderate voter’s name, astatine slightest 7 days’ announcement indispensable beryllium fixed to the elector for explanation, portion a peculiar thrust should beryllium undertaken for Booth Level Agent (BLA) registration. The full SIR information should beryllium preserved for astatine slightest 5 years astatine the ERO and DEO levels and made disposable to governmental parties arsenic required,” helium added.