Ahead Of UP Polls, Indian People’s Front Raises SIR Concerns, To Hold 3-Day Hunger Strike

The Indian People’s Front (IPF), a new political formation preparing for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, has demanded an impartial inquiry into questions surrounding the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and announced a three-day hunger strike from October 3 across various districts of the state.

IPF president Shekhar Dixit, who also heads the Lucknow-based Rashtriya Kisan Manch, said accurate electoral rolls were essential for free and fair elections, but stressed that no eligible citizen should lose the right to vote because of technical, administrative or procedural issues.

The demand comes amid a growing political controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission and the preparation of electoral rolls ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh. The IPF said the questions surrounding the poll panel were serious enough to warrant an impartial investigation.

The party’s proposed protest follows an Indian Express report that raised questions about deliberations within the three-member Election Commission over the SIR exercise. According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had, on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months, formally objected to certain decisions and orders, stating that they had been issued without their knowledge or recommendations.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected any suggestion of a breakdown in its functioning. It has maintained that differences of opinion and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and asserted that all SIR orders received unanimous consent from all three commissioners.

The conflicting accounts have added another layer to the debate over electoral-roll revisions, particularly over how safeguards can ensure that genuine voters remain on the rolls while inaccuracies are addressed.

The IPF said its three-day hunger strike beginning October 3 would be held in different districts of Uttar Pradesh to press for its demand for an inquiry and to highlight concerns over the protection of eligible voters’ rights.