Bengaluru, July 3 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, on Friday urged the Chief Election Commissioner of India (ECI) to immediately intervene against what she described as a “parallel” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls allegedly initiated by the Karnataka State Election Commission (KSEC) in Assembly constituencies falling within the jurisdiction of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
It can be noted that in a separate letter the Union Minister sought urgent intervention over the alleged dilution of the SIR of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
Further in another representation, Karandlaje urged the Chief Election Commissioner to immediately examine the legality of the alleged parallel SIR process initiated by the KSEC in Assembly constituencies within the GBA.
She also requested the ECI to issue appropriate directions to ensure that there is only one uniform SIR of Assembly electoral rolls under its supervision and control.
Further, the Union Minister sought directions restraining the KSEC from undertaking any parallel revision of Assembly electoral rolls and asked that it instead adopt the electoral rolls finalised by the ECI for the conduct of elections to Urban Local Bodies and other local authorities, in accordance with the constitutional and statutory framework.
In her letter, Karandlaje contended that the ECI has already notified the schedule for Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision in Karnataka and that the exercise is underway in accordance with the programme announced by the poll panel.
She stated that the electoral rolls have already been frozen as per the ECI’s notified schedule and that the revision process is being conducted under the constitutional authority vested in the ECI under Article 324 of the Constitution, read with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The Union Minister alleged that despite the ongoing statewide SIR exercise being conducted by the ECI, the KSEC has initiated a separate revision process in certain Assembly constituencies within the GBA by issuing notifications with independent timelines and different cut-off dates.
According to Karandlaje, such a parallel exercise is likely to create confusion among voters, political parties and election officials and could result in inconsistencies in the electoral rolls, thereby affecting the integrity of the electoral process.
She argued that while the KSEC, constituted under Articles 243K and 243ZA of the Constitution, is empowered to conduct elections to urban local bodies and other local authorities, it has no independent authority to prepare or undertake a SIR of Assembly electoral rolls.
“The preparation and revision of Assembly electoral rolls fall exclusively within the domain of the Election Commission of India,” she stated.
Karandlaje further alleged that the initiation of a parallel SIR process in Assembly constituencies under the GBA was contrary to the constitutional and statutory framework and could lead to duplication of work, unnecessary expenditure of public resources, administrative confusion and uncertainty regarding the authenticity of the electoral rolls.
Referring to a recent Supreme Court judgment, the Union Minister said the apex court, in Association for Democratic Reforms & Others vs Election Commission of India & Others case, had upheld the authority of the ECI to undertake the SIR of electoral rolls.
She stated that the judgment reinforced the ECI’s exclusive constitutional mandate to ensure a uniform, transparent and credible electoral roll across the country.
Emphasising the importance of maintaining a free, fair and transparent electoral process, Karandlaje urged the ECI to take immediate steps to safeguard the integrity, uniformity and credibility of the electoral roll revision process.
–IANS
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