Twenty-three parties, Independent MP write to Chief Justice on SIR, role of EC
NEW DELHI, June 30: The BJP on Tuesday accused opposition parties of displaying “peak hypocrisy” by attacking the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that they back the same exercise in states where it suits them politically but oppose it elsewhere to create an excuse for electoral defeats.
The charge came after 23 political parties and an Independent MP wrote to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, raising concerns over the SIR process, the EC’s functioning and other election-related issues.
Reacting to the letter, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the opposition was targeting constitutional institutions after repeated electoral setbacks.
“SIR is merely a pretext. The real objective is to shield themselves from electoral losses by attacking the Election Commission,” Poonawalla said in a video statement.
He claimed that the opposition’s objections reflect “peak hypocrisy”, noting that the Congress has praised the SIR process, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the EC when electoral roll revision exercises were carried out in states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu that were won by it or its allies.
“The selective outrage over the SIR exercise reflects the opposition’s double standards. When the same SIR is carried out in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Congress says it is very good. The Congress says EVMs are very good and the Election Commission is very good. But when the exercise is undertaken in West Bengal, where they lose elections, suddenly SIR becomes bad,” he alleged.
“There is a ‘good SIR’ and a ‘bad SIR’. One kind of SIR is acceptable in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while another suddenly becomes objectionable elsewhere. This is nothing but political hypocrisy,” he said.
Poonawalla asserted that the Supreme Court has recognised the importance of the SIR in ensuring free and fair elections and said the EC has the constitutional mandate to undertake the exercise in accordance with established legal procedures.
He alleged that despite making serious allegations, opposition parties and activists, including Yogendra Yadav, have failed to produce “even a single evidence” to show that any voter’s name has been illegally deleted during the SIR process.
“They have to push a false narrative. They have to protect infiltrators and illegal immigrants. Therefore, they are creating an atmosphere against constitutional bodies,” he alleged.
Claiming that the opposition has a history of blaming constitutional institutions after electoral defeats, Poonawalla said, “Earlier they blamed EVMs. Now the Election Commission’s SIR has become the latest target.”
He alleged that instead of introspecting over repeated electoral setbacks, opposition parties are attempting to shift the blame onto constitutional institutions.
OPPOSITION PARTIES WRITE TO CJI
Twenty-three political parties along with an Independent MP on Tuesday sent a joint letter to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on the SIR process, the role of the Election Commission and other election-related issues.
The signatories include all major INDIA bloc parties, as well as the AAP and DMK, which have distanced themselves from the alliance.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh gave this information in a post on X, saying the Opposition parties are firmly anchored in “SURE Solidarity, Unity and Resistance”.
“21 political parties plus one Independent attended the INDIA Janbandhan meeting on June 8, 2026, where a decision was taken to address a joint letter to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India on the SIR process of the Election Commission of India and other election-related issues,” Ramesh said on X.
“Accordingly, a joint letter now signed by 23 political parties plus one Independent has been sent to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India today,” he said.
The joint letter has been signed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Left party leaders, and Independent MP Kapil Sibal, among others, sources said.
TMC leader Derek O’Brien said the letter has also been signed by the Aam Aadmi Party and the DMK.
“Good going from INDIA. And yes, @AamAadmiParty @arivalayam DMK also signed the joint letter to CJI,” he said on X.
“The letter is a total teamwork by all INDIA bloc parties,” O’Brien told the media later.
According to a senior Opposition leader privy to the developments, the letter is centred around the idea that when everything else fails, Indian democracy looks towards the judiciary.
“It appeals to the conscience of the judiciary…The judiciary has to see what is happening in the country today. When everything else fails, who do we turn to?” the Opposition leader said.
The letter also refers to the role of the Election Commission of India, citing examples of how the SIR process has impacted people in different states, sources said.
The Congress and other Opposition parties have been questioning the EC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. (PTI)
