SIR process ruins administrative system: Khandre
BENGALURU: State Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Eshwar B. Khandre, has launched a scathing critique against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that the rigorous administrative exercise has severely disrupted government functioning across the state.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Khandre expressed deep displeasure over the multi-month deployment of government personnel. He pointed out that school teachers and public servants have been pulled from their primary duties for six consecutive months to handle SIR-related tasks, causing classroom instruction in government schools to suffer and file processing in civil offices to grind to a halt.
The Minister alleged that the revision process has caused widespread injustice and unnecessary harassment among eligible citizens under the guise of resolving “logical discrepancies.” He cited instances where families are being arbitrarily questioned simply because younger members do not appear on historical 2002 electoral rolls.
Furthermore, Khandre claimed that the names of lakhs of legitimate voters have been systematically removed from rolls. While acknowledging that standard revisions traditionally target deceased individuals, relocated voters, or duplicate entries, he condemned the current methodology for excluding eligible citizens from exercising their democratic rights. He noted that the contentious issue is currently the subject of legal battles in the Supreme Court.
Khandre stated that the prolonged delays plaguing rural local body elections directly stem from the absence of finalized, error-free electoral rolls resulting from the SIR process. Questioning the feasibility of conducting democratic elections while large segments of the population remain disenfranchised, he reaffirmed the fundamental principle that “Our Vote, Our Right” must be protected.
Weighing in on broader national political debates, the Minister also voiced strong support for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent allegations regarding mobile surveillance and phone tapping. Recalling earlier controversies surrounding Pegasus spyware, Khandre maintained that such serious charges reflect systemic suppression of political opposition by central authorities.
Legal and political pushback
With matters currently before the Supreme Court, the state administration faces mounting friction between electoral roll modernization directives and the practical disruptions impacting rural education, local governance, and civic rights.
