Chandigarh :
senior Congress MP Manish Tewari today spearheaded the Opposition’s debate on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, demanding an immediate stop to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states, terming the exercise “illegal and unconstitutional.” He urged the Election Commission to provide written reasons for ordering a blanket SIR.
Tewari also called for amendments to the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners, proposing that the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha be included in the selection panel to ensure neutrality.
Highlighting concerns over the credibility of EVMs, he advocated either a return to paper ballots or 100% VVPAT verification. He further criticised pre-election cash transfers by governments, warning that such practices could “bankrupt democracy,” and suggested banning transfers if the debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 20%.
