New Delhi: Twenty-three Opposition parties on Tuesday submitted a joint memorandum to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, alleging "irregularities" in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and claiming bias by the Election Commission of India brass in the conduct of the exercise.According to sources, the memorandum lamented that questionable conduct of SIR and the commission was affecting credible functioning of the Indian electoral system and democracy.The group submitted the memorandum as per a decision made at an INDIA bloc meeting last month.DMK and AAP, which are no longer part of the INDIA bloc, also signed the memorandum along with 21 members of the alliance, on being approached since both had been party to the earlier legal petitions moved against SIR (AAP is now also concerned about the exercise in Punjab and Delhi). The Joseph Vijay-led TVK, however, has not signed it though it had moved the Supreme Court against SIR in Tamil Nadu before the party swept the state elections.Sources said the memorandum, aimed more at citing a common ground amid continuing disarray and splits in Opposition ranks, was also the "most agreeably option" after several INDIA bloc allies overlooked Trinamool Congress' pitch for a joint visit to West Bengal to lend credentials to the Mamata Banerjee-led party's case against SIR and poll malpractices. Most signatories to the memorandum, which is not a legal petition but an "appeal to judiciary", are the same political parties whose earlier legal pleas against SIR in Bihar were dismissed by the apex court.Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Hemant Soren (JMM), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT), Omar Abdullah (NC), independent MP Kapil Sibal and Left leaders were among the signatories of the four-page memorandum.Sources said the memorandum, while detailing the Opposition's complaints about SIR in various states including Bihar, UP, West Bengal and upcoming exercise in more states, alleged that ECI-driven exercise was "partisan" and conducted discriminately, resulting in "mass disenfranchisement", especially of the economically and socially weaker sections. The memorandum was also learnt to have accused ECI, especially the chief election commissioner, of biased conduct against the Opposition and in favour of the ruling party.The memorandum is learnt to have also complained about the selection panel for CEC's appointment and about CJI not being part of it.The memorandum came months after their joint move for CEC's removal was rejected by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
23 Opposition parties send joint memo to CJI Surya Kant over SIR, ECI
Twenty-three opposition parties presented a joint memorandum to the Chief Justice of India, alleging "irregularities" and "bias" by the Election Commission during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The parties claim the exercise is "partisan" and leads to "mass disenfranchisement," particularly affecting weaker sections. This appeal to the judiciary aims to highlight concerns about the integrity of India's electoral system amidst ongoing opposition disarray.
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