Lucknow, Sep 27 (PTI) The Indian People’s Front (IPF), a new party formed ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, has demanded an inquiry into questions raised regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The front has also announced a three-day hunger strike across various districts of the state, starting October 3, to press for its demands.
In a statement issued here, IPF president Shekhar Dixit said that free and fair elections are the basis of a democracy and that electoral rolls must be accurate.
However, no eligible Indian citizen should be deprived of their right to vote due to technical, administrative, or procedural reasons, said Dixit who is the president of the Lucknow-based Rashtriya Kisan Manch.
The IPF, which was floated months ahead of the UP assembly polls, said that questions regarding the Election Commission’s functioning are “very serious” and called for an impartial inquiry into it.
Dixit added that the IPF would launch a three-day hunger strike in various districts of the state starting October 3.
This comes amid a political firestorm over an Indian Express report that questions were repeatedly raised on issues related to the SIR of electoral rolls within the three-member Election Commission by two of the three commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
But Sandhu and Joshi have formally objected, on record, at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued, which they said were without their knowledge or recommendations, according to the report in the English daily.
The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and asserted that all SIR orders received unanimous consent from all three commissioners. PTI SLM NAV SKY
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