23 Parties, Independent MP Write To CJI On SIR, Role Of EC
The Congress and other opposition parties have been questioning the EC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
New Delhi: Twenty-three political parties, along with independent Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal, on Tuesday jointly wrote to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, raising concerns over the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) process and other election-related issues. The signatories include all major constituents of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc as well as the AAP and the DMK, both of which have maintained distance from the Opposition alliance in recent months.
According to Opposition sources, the communication urges the judiciary to examine concerns surrounding the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission, arguing that the courts remain the final institutional safeguard when democratic mechanisms come under strain.
Sources said the letter also cited examples from different states to highlight the alleged impact of the SIR process on voters and raises broader concerns relating to the conduct of elections.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the decision to write to the Chief Justice was taken at the I.N.D.I.A. Janbandhan meeting held on June 8. In a post on X, he said 21 political parties and one Independent MP had attended the meeting, while the final letter was signed by 23 political parties and Sibal before being sent to the Chief Justice on Tuesday.
The Congress general secretary said the Opposition parties remain united through what he described as "SURE—solidarity, unity and resistance”.
According to sources, the letter has been signed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, leaders of the Left parties, and Sibal, among others.
