A political storm has erupted over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls across 12 states. Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress and DMK, led by figures like Mamata Banerjee and M.K. Stalin, have accused the BJP of conspiring to disenfranchise minorities and the poor ahead of elections. ‘The motive is clear, Preeti ji,’ declared TMC spokesperson Tausif Rehman, alleging the selective targeting of states like West Bengal. The controversy follows a similar exercise in Bihar, which resulted in the deletion of nearly 66 lakh names from voter lists. While the opposition terms it ‘silent, invisible rigging,’ the BJP defends the drive as a necessary clean-up of electoral rolls to remove ineligible voters, citing constitutional provisions and previous revisions under Congress rule. The Election Commission maintains it is a transparent process to ensure the integrity of the voter list.