Congress to Shah: Secure CEC's resignation, suspend SIR before special session

The Congress has asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to secure the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and suspend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls before any special session of Parliament to discuss the exercise. The demand sets a condition for the Opposition's participation in a debate that Mr Shah has proposed.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh made the demand on Tuesday, responding to an offer by Mr Shah to convene a special session to debate the SIR, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and allegations of infiltration. Mr Shah had challenged Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to take part in the debate.

In a post on X, Mr Ramesh said the Home Minister had last year refused a discussion on the SIR, saying it was the prerogative of the Election Commission of India (ECI). He said that if the Home Minister was serious about a special session on alleged vote theft, he should first ensure the CEC’s resignation and suspend the SIR.

Mr Ramesh also demanded that the government share its proposed changes to delimitation with the Opposition well in advance and convene an all-party meeting to discuss them. He alleged that the content of the Delimitation Bills was not public but their intent was to shield the BJP from an expected defeat in the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

He said 82 days had passed since the monsoon session was adjourned indefinitely without Parliament being formally prorogued. He alleged that the government was still considering a special session to pass the Delimitation Bills with its two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.

On Monday, Mr Shah offered to convene a special session to discuss the SIR and challenged Mr Gandhi to a debate. He described the INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi on Sunday as a campaign to “save infiltrators” and questioned the Congress’s criticism of EVMs, asking how the party had formed governments in States such as Telangana if the machines were faulty.

Speaking at the BJP’s “Save democracy, remove anarchy” padayatra in Hyderabad, Mr Shah accused the Congress of obstructing parliamentary proceedings and trying to stall the SIR to protect alleged infiltrators from Bangladesh. He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would strongly rebut the Congress in a parliamentary debate, and accused the Opposition of seeking publicity through “anarchy”.

The SIR is an exercise to revise electoral rolls. The ECI has said such revisions are meant to remove errors and duplicate entries. Opposition parties have raised concerns that the process could exclude genuine voters, while the government has defended it as necessary for clean electoral rolls. The Congress’s demand to suspend the SIR is part of its broader challenge to the exercise.

Delimitation is the redrawing of constituency boundaries. The Congress has said any changes should be discussed across party lines before being brought to Parliament. Mr Ramesh’s demand for an all-party meeting reflects the Opposition’s concern that the proposed Bills could alter the political map without adequate consultation.

The exchange marks an escalation in the confrontation between the government and the Opposition over the conduct of elections. Both sides have traded accusations over the SIR, EVMs and the timing of parliamentary business. The Congress has made clear that it will press for the CEC’s resignation and the suspension of the SIR before agreeing to any special session.