Raj Thackeray Demands Scrapping of SIR, Alleges BJP Using It as ‘Weapon’

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Friday demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be scrapped and conducted afresh, alleging that the BJP has been using the exercise as a “weapon” since 2025.

In a post on X, Thackeray alleged that the SIR process had revealed irregularities and said the developments warranted a fresh exercise. He also called for a probe into the alleged discrepancies to establish the facts.

“It has become evident how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leveraged individuals like Gyanesh Kumar to secure an endless grip on power. To this end, they have adopted a new weapon since 2025: the SIR,” Thackeray said.

He said the alleged irregularities in the revision process, coupled with reports of objections raised by members of the Election Commission, left no option but to scrap the entire SIR exercise.

Thackeray urged Opposition parties across the country to unite over the issue and launch a “massive agitation”. He also demanded that future elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The MNS chief further sought an investigation into the alleged irregularities, saying such a probe would help establish the truth behind what he described as a “long-standing hold on power”.

The Opposition has also been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged differences among the Election Commission’s top officials over key electoral decisions.

The demand followed an Indian Express report which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months on matters related to electoral rolls.

According to the report, the objections concerned voter additions and deletions, changes to Form 6, used for new voter registration, and the centralisation of electoral-roll systems.