Bhubaneswar, Oct. 6 (UDN): The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday joined the Opposition’s protest march in New Delhi over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the party demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Acting on the direction of BJD president and Odisha Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, the party’s Members of Parliament participated in the march towards the Election Commission of India headquarters. BJD Parliamentary Party Leader in the Rajya Sabha Manas Mangaraj confirmed the party’s participation.
The BJD has raised concerns over the alleged exclusion of more than 20 lakh voters in Odisha and over 13 crore names across the country during the SIR exercise. The party has questioned the transparency and implementation of the electoral-roll revision process.
Mangaraj also cited the reported deletion of 227 votes belonging to members of a minority community in a locality under the Dhamnagar Assembly constituency. The BJD alleged that the deletions were made without the knowledge of the concerned Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and said the matter warrants scrutiny.
The party further claimed that thousands of voters may have been excluded from the electoral rolls in the Dhamnagar constituency. It also pointed to the voluntary retirement application submitted by Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer as another development that, according to the party, has added to concerns surrounding the revision process.
The BJD has also referred to recent Supreme Court observations concerning changes to Form 6, arguing that the court had not issued the direction that was earlier attributed to it by the Election Commission. The party said the issue raises questions about the manner in which the SIR exercise has been handled.
Despite maintaining that it remains equidistant from both the INDIA bloc and the NDA, the BJD said it decided to participate in the protest as part of its stated position on protecting democratic institutions and the integrity of the electoral process.
Meanwhile, Opposition MPs marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision exercise. The march was stopped by police near Parliament Street.