Overview
- Rahul Gandhi and Manish Tewari led Opposition criticism of the Election Commission’s neutrality and questioned the legal basis for a nationwide Special Intensive Revision across 12 states and Union Territories.
- The Opposition pressed to halt the SIR, expand the panel that selects election commissioners to include the Chief Justice and more opposition voices, mandate 100% VVPAT counting or revert to paper ballots, and restrict pre‑poll cash transfers.
- Arjun Ram Meghwal countered that SIRs have been conducted since 1952, cited Supreme Court validation in the Bihar exercise, and argued migration and urbanisation require a concentrated roll clean-up.
- Lawmakers from several parties raised reports of stress and deaths among Booth Level Officers, with Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav citing fatalities and calling for compensation and support.
- The ECI’s timeline is proceeding with draft rolls published on December 9, claims and objections now open, hearings slated through January, and final rolls targeted for February 2026.