Chirag Paswan Defends SIR, Says EC Must Address Voters’ Concerns With Transparency

Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday defended the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the poll body must maintain transparency and address citizens’ doubts about the exercise.

Speaking to reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief said an independent and impartial Election Commission, along with public faith in its functioning, was essential for a healthy democracy.

Paswan said the ECI had issued point-by-point clarifications on the SIR exercise and addressed apprehensions surrounding it. However, he added that the poll body must demonstrate transparency if citizens continued to have concerns about the electoral process.

“My concern is about the citizens of our country. If the Opposition is making such statements and even a single citizen develops doubts or confusion in their mind, then in the world's largest democracy, any loss of public faith in the electoral process is certainly not healthy for democracy,” he said, reported PTI.

He added that it was the Election Commission’s responsibility, as an independent constitutional institution, to clarify doubts about the electoral process.

Paswan Questions Kharge’s Demand To Dissolve Assemblies

The Union minister also questioned Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s demand for dissolving the Lok Sabha and state assemblies over alleged irregularities in elections.

Paswan asked whether Kharge’s demand extended to Congress-ruled states such as Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. He also questioned whether it would mean cancelling the elections of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with nearly 100 other Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Accusing the Opposition of playing a negative role, Paswan said parties frequently raised concerns over contentious issues but failed to pursue them consistently.

He cited the Opposition’s earlier concerns over electronic voting machines (EVMs), saying the issue was no longer being raised with the same frequency.

Paswan said repeated attacks on the electoral process could create unnecessary doubts among voters. He also noted that the Opposition had previously flagged errors in electoral rolls, including duplicate entries and the inclusion of deceased persons, which the SIR exercise seeks to address.

On LJP (Ram Vilas)’s Plans In UP

On his party’s electoral plans in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Paswan said the final decision would be taken by the respective state units and the party’s central parliamentary board.

He said the party had adopted different strategies in different states, contesting independently in Nagaland, where it won two Assembly seats, while being part of an alliance in Jharkhand.

“In Uttar Pradesh, the role is yet to be decided. The state unit has conveyed that if we have to contest alone, the party is fully capable of doing so,” he said.

However, Paswan said he preferred an alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), noting that Uttar Pradesh was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political base.

He also expressed confidence in expanding the party’s presence in Chhattisgarh, citing the traditional voter base built by his late father, Ram Vilas Paswan.

Action Against Crime In Bihar

On recent criminal incidents in Bihar, Paswan said public concern over crime had increased, but swift action against those accused was necessary to establish the rule of law.

He said Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the home portfolio, was capable of controlling crime and called on the administration to support him.

“The administration should also support him with the same determination so that together we can establish the sense of security that Bihar needs,” he said.

Paswan was in Raipur to attend a youth conclave organised under the ‘ROLBOL’ initiative, which stands for ‘Rest of Life, Best of Life’.