Gangtok, Sep 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Sikkim Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday backed the Election Commission's recent clarification on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, dismissing allegations of manipulation and malpractice raised by the Congress and other opposition parties.
BJP spokesperson Passang Gyali Sherpa said the poll panel's joint statement had provided factual clarification on what he described as several misleading claims surrounding the electoral process and the ongoing revision exercise.
Sherpa added that the Election Commission had made it clear that key operational and regulatory decisions, including the SIR, were taken with the unanimous approval of the full Commission.
He also referred to the Election Commission's clarification regarding its communication to the Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, saying it concerned an internal administrative matter involving an officer on deputation and had no connection with the Commission's policy decisions, Information Technology division or the SIR exercise.
On the legal aspects of electoral-roll revision, Sherpa said the declaration accompanying Form-6 for the SIR exercise had been examined and upheld by the Supreme Court.
He added that statutory procedures under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, continued to govern electoral-roll revisions outside the SIR framework.
The BJP leader also highlighted measures announced by the Election Commission to widen voter participation. These include dedicated outreach camps for labourers, homeless citizens and people residing in night shelters, besides door-to-door efforts by Booth Level Officers to distribute and collect forms and facilitate enrolment of eligible voters.
Referring to the ongoing SIR process in Sikkim, Sherpa said recognised political parties had been asked to nominate Booth Level Agents (BLA) and BLA-2 representatives at every polling booth.
He added that the arrangement would allow political parties to participate in the verification process and assist Booth Level Officers in examining electoral details.
Rejecting allegations that the BJP had interferred in or manipulated the voter revision exercise, Sherpa termed the charges "completely baseless and devoid of factual foundation".
He urged political parties to substantiate allegations with evidence and cautioned against statements that could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Sherpa called upon all stakeholders to respect constitutional institutions and established legal procedures, saying electoral debates should be based on verified facts and the Election Commission's stated framework.
Source: IANS
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