Odisha CM Majhi defends SIR, accuses Congress of trying to create ‘anarchy’
Asserting that the SIR exercise was transparent and technology-driven, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi accused the opposition Congress of attempting to create "anarchy" in the country after failing to win elections.
Speaking to reporters at the state guest house here on Sunday, Majhi dismissed allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had taken unilateral decisions while ignoring the other two election commissioners, describing the charge as "completely false and politically motivated".
"The Congress attempts to create an atmosphere of anarchy across the country by misleading people. The party, which had earned a bad name during its 60-year rule, is now attempting to defame constitutional bodies like the Election Commission for political gains," Majhi alleged.
On alleged deletion of around 13 crore names from electoral rolls, Majhi said 2.8 crore of those voters were deceased, three crore were absent, 6.3 crore had migrated, and one crore were registered at multiple places.
He also rejected allegations regarding changes to Form 6, which is used to register new voters.
"There are 17.38 crore Gen-Z voters in the country whose age is between 18 and 28 years. Every month, around 50,000 youths are being included in the electoral rolls. There are no irregularities in Form 6. Rather, it has been simplified," he said.
Majhi said political parties had appointed booth-level agents (BLAs), who were involved in the SIR process and had the right to file claims and objections.
He also said the Supreme Court had upheld the validity of the SIR exercise.
On allegations that the voter database had been centralised, Majhi said electoral rolls continued to be managed by chief electoral officers and electoral registration officers in the states.
"The system remains fully decentralised, with no change in the legal or procedural powers of EROs across states. Only the process has been digitised through the ECI-NET and ERO-NET modules," he said.
Majhi said Congress leader and Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala supported the SIR, acknowledging the presence of fake voters in electoral rolls during previous Left-led governments in the southern state.
Taking a swipe at the Congress, Majhi said, "Wherever they win, everything is fine; wherever they lose, democracy is in danger.
He also said the process of appointing the chief election commissioner had become more participatory after the 2023 law changed the composition of the selection panel to include the prime minister, a Union minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
