- Former EC Ashok Lavasa saddened by poll panel’s image damage.
- Lavasa called current electoral roll revision largely purposeless.
- He questioned Form 6 changes and SIR’s unclear methodology.
The controversy surrounding the Election Commission and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls shows no signs of easing. Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has now reacted to the issue, saying he is saddened by the damage being done to the poll panel’s image.
In an exclusive conversation with ABP News, Lavasa said there was no point in conducting the SIR in its current form. He also raised questions over the changes related to Form 6.
‘ECI’s Image Is Being Damaged’
Lavasa said he was saddened to see the controversy surrounding the Election Commission, calling it a strong institution whose image was being affected.
#WATCH | पूर्व चुनाव आयुक्त अशोक लवासा ने CEC ज्ञानेश कुमार पर लग रहे आरोपों को लेकर क्या कहा सुनिए@romanaisarkhan | @MeghaSPrasadhttps://t.co/SMm0dUypVm#SIR #ElectionCommissionRow #GyaneshKumar #CEC #AshokLavasa #ABPNews pic.twitter.com/7EqLByMcTZ
— ABP News (@ABPNews) September 24, 2026
“First, I felt sorry that all these things were happening. Second, I was saddened that such a good institution as the Election Commission is having its image damaged in this manner. Third, the difficulties people were facing because of the SIR were evident, and somewhere it appeared that the Election Commissioners were also concerned. The way it is being conducted, not everything is being done legitimately,” he said.
Lavasa also said technology should support the legal process rather than create hurdles in it.
“Technology has its place and law has its place. Technology is created to support the legal process, not to obstruct it,” he said.
Lavasa Questions Need For SIR
On the SIR exercise, Lavasa said he had maintained from the beginning that the exercise was “purposeless”.
Asked about the addition of a question related to parents in Form 6, which was not part of the form earlier, Lavasa said the Election Commission should explain why it was introduced.
“You should ask the ECI about this. I have been saying from the beginning that the entire SIR exercise is purposeless. Whatever you wanted to achieve through SIR could have been achieved in an easier way,” he said.
Lavasa said the methodology adopted for the SIR this time had not been used earlier and questioned the meaning and parameters of “logical discrepancy”.
“What does logical discrepancy mean even today? What are its parameters? Why is mapping necessary?” he asked.
He said the Election Commission has traditionally issued detailed guidelines whenever it introduces a system and explained the reasons and process transparently.
“Tell me, I am 60 years old and have been on the electoral roll for 20-25 years. If you cannot map me, why should that affect my rights?” Lavasa said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
