Farooq Abdullah Criticises EC Over Alleged Voter Deletions, Says Change Is Coming
National Conference chief questions SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar while alleging selective deletion of Muslim voters
Srinagar: National Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has criticised the Election Commission over alleged voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, while saying that growing public protests indicate that political change is underway.
Speaking at the fifth Halla Bolle conclave in Srinagar, Abdullah questioned the deletion of names from electoral rolls and said no Indian citizen should be removed from the voter list without due process.
Abdullah alleged that Muslims had been selectively removed from voter lists. He also claimed that the name of senior lawyer and former Union minister Kapil Sibal had been removed, and questioned the reasons behind such deletions. These claims were made by Abdullah at the event and were not independently established in the reports.
The National Conference chief also criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged that the present Election Commission is not sufficiently independent. He argued that the process for selecting the CEC gives the government a numerical advantage over the opposition.
Abdullah said the Election Commission should have been made completely autonomous during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure and described the absence of greater institutional autonomy as a mistake whose consequences, in his view, are being seen today.
He also referred to recent protests in Mumbai and Delhi against the CEC and the SIR exercise. Abdullah praised people and political groups who have participated in demonstrations, saying that public courage is increasing.
“Change will come,” Abdullah said, adding that he believed people’s authority would eventually re emerge. He also referred to AISA national president Neha Bora and praised her for confronting a police officer during a recent protest.
Abdullah further alleged that the present CEC is biased towards the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. The allegation was part of his criticism of the Election Commission and its functioning and has not been established as a factual finding.
The NC president also criticised the BJP over its approach towards the Constitution and said the party had sidelined the constitutional principles associated with B R Ambedkar.
His remarks come amid an ongoing political dispute over the SIR exercise, with opposition parties raising concerns about voter deletions and the Election Commission defending the electoral revision process. Reuters has reported that the ECI has faced allegations of voter roll manipulation while maintaining that the deletions are based on legal and procedural grounds rather than political considerations.