New Delhi, December 10: Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday dismissed the Opposition's repeated demands to halt the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, stressing that electoral reforms were the real topic for discussion in the Lok Sabha. He clarified that the Election Commission (ECI) oversees the voter list revision, not the government, as per Article 324(1) of the Indian Constitution.

Shah explained that legal provisions allow the ECI to verify the citizenship of individuals on the electoral roll. He emphasized that voting rights are based on Indian citizenship, being 18 or older, and meeting the constitutional requirements. Shah also highlighted that Parliament holds the authority under Article 327 to regulate electoral processes, including the preparation of electoral rolls and delimitation of constituencies.

Despite the Opposition's concerns over voter disenfranchisement, particularly through the SIR process, Shah pointed out that the procedure has been conducted nine times before, often under Congress governments. Protests have taken place in Parliament and outside, but Shah noted that no issues were raised during SIR in Bihar, where Assembly elections were held recently.

Opposition MPs have even staged protests at the ECI office in Delhi, demanding clarifications. However, when invited by the ECI for a meeting, they refused unless all protesters were allowed in. A delegation from the Trinamool Congress did meet with the Chief Election Commissioner in November to discuss the ongoing SIR process in 12 states and union territories.