Bharatiya Janata Party held a comprehensive meeting on Electoral Reforms and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) at party headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu.
Sat Sharma, President, J&K BJP and MP (Rajya Sabha), accompanied by Ashok Koul, General Secretary (Organization), J&K BJP chaired the meeting.
BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari joined the deliberations through virtual mode as a key resource person on the subject. The meeting was attended by BJP State Office Bearers, Party Spokespersons, and other senior and prominent leaders. During the meeting, the participants also collectively witnessed the address of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of electoral reforms and SIR and raised questions to seek more clarity on the issue.
Addressing the meeting, Sat Sharma underlined that the BJP has always stood firmly for free, fair, and transparent elections, which form the backbone of India’s democracy. He said that Parliament is the highest forum for debate and discussion, and the BJP has never shied away from any issue, including electoral reforms. Sat Sharma emphasized that SIR is a constitutional and routine process entrusted to the Election Commission under Articles 324, 325, 326, and 327 of the Constitution, aimed at ensuring that only eligible Indian citizens are included in the voter list. He stated that by opposing SIR, the Congress and other opposition parties are, in effect, questioning the Constitution framed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and weakening democratic institutions
Ashok Koul, while presenting the organizational blueprint, announced a structured series of programmes and meetings to be conducted at the district levels across Jammu and Kashmir. He said that awareness sessions, workshops for party workers, press interactions, and public outreach programmes would be organized to educate people about the constitutional validity and necessity of SIR. He stressed that party cadres would be equipped with factual material to counter misinformation being spread by the opposition and to take the message of electoral purity and national security to the grassroots
Pradeep Bhandari, in his detailed presentation, exposed what he termed as the opposition’s double standards and undemocratic conduct. He pointed out that the Congress introduced the concept of EVMs but now questions their credibility only when it loses elections, while remaining silent when it wins. He recalled that the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the use of EVMs and that no opposition leader has successfully challenged them within the legally mandated 45-day period. He further explained that SIR has been conducted multiple times since 1952, mostly under Congress governments, and was never opposed earlier. Bhandari asserted that the purpose of SIR is voter-list purification, removal of duplicate entries, deletion of names of deceased persons, inclusion of new eligible voters, and identification of illegal immigrants, essential to protect democracy and national security. He criticized the opposition for walking out of debates on illegal immigration, questioning their credibility and intentions