Jodhpur (Rajasthan) [India], July 11 (ANI): Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday said that the opposition was blaming the Election Commission amid the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise since they have already anticipated their defeat in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

'The Constitution has established a process, and the Election Commission operates under a constitutional framework to conduct elections, maintain voter lists, and add or remove names from voter lists. This process has been ongoing in the country for many years, but anticipating their defeat, the opposition has prepared to pin the blame on the Election Commission,' Shekhawat told ANI.

Meanwhile, Swaraj Party leader Yogendra Yadav said that the apex court has put a break on the 'disenfranchisement exercise'.

Clarifying that the stay order on the SIR drive was not a requirement, Yadav said that the Supreme Court remained alert to the possibility of this exercise posing a serious danger of disenfranchisement.

'The Supreme Court has kind of put a break on the disenfranchisement exercise that was happening. We did not ask for a stay order. The SC did not give a stay order because that was not required at all. What was said was that in the current exercise, there is a serious danger of disenfranchisement. The Supreme Court was very alert to that possibility,' Yadav, one of the petitioners challenging the EC's SIR drive in the Supreme Court, told reporters.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was initiated by the Election Commission to update Bihar's electoral rolls, which has been met with resistance from opposition parties. They argued that the short timelines and stringent requirements could lead to disenfranchisement of many eligible voters.

The Supreme Court's decision to allow the SIR to continue has sparked reactions from various political quarters, with the ruling alliance seeing it as a validation of their stance.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not stay the SIR process but asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the SIR of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar.

'We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay,' the bench stated in its order.

In its order, the top court noted that the timeline for the process is very short since elections in Bihar are due in November.

The apex court posted for hearing on July 28 the pleas challenging ECI's move to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and asked the poll panel to file its affidavit within one week.

During the hearing, the bench opined that Aadhaar should be included within the list of documents permissible as an ID proof.

'We feel since Aadhar has been taken as a solid proof for inclusion in electoral rolls... it should be included. Your enumeration list is all related to identity - matriculation certificate, etc.,' observed the bench.

The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission of India's move to conduct the SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.

According to advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, the hearing of the case is scheduled for July 28; until then, the Election Commission of India will continue with its SIR process in Bihar.

He informed that the Supreme Court wants the ECI to include Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration card in the Special Intensive Revision Process. (ANI)