Rijiju Says Govt Open to Debate on Electoral Roll Revision, Rejects Opposition’s Immediate Demand

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressed a charged Rajya Sabha on Monday afternoon, declaring that the Union government is not opposed in principle to a full-fledged discussion on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls or on wider electoral reforms. He repeatedly stressed that the administration requires reasonable scheduling flexibility and cannot accept the Opposition’s ultimatum to suspend all other business and begin the debate instantly.

Rijiju reminded members that the issue had been formally flagged by opposition leaders during Sunday’s all-party meeting as well as Monday morning’s Business Advisory Committee meeting chaired by the Rajya Sabha Chairman himself. He insisted that no subject raised in those forums has been dismissed or sidelined, and that the government’s position since the commencement of the winter session has been unambiguous: every legitimate concern, including the integrity of electoral rolls and systemic reforms, remains open for discussion on the floor of the House.

When Chairman CP Radhakrishnan declined nine separate notices moved under Rule 267 seeking suspension of listed business to prioritise the SIR debate, opposition members erupted in protest. Finding Rijiju’s assurance of future discussion but refusal to commit to an immediate timeline unacceptable, parliamentarians from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), DMK, and other parties rose in unison and staged a dramatic walkout, leaving the Treasury benches facing an almost empty opposition side for several minutes.

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Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of deliberately delaying a matter of national importance and cautioned the ruling dispensation against attempting to fracture opposition unity, declaring that any such strategy would only consolidate their resolve. Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O’Brien demanded that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister honour his pre-session statements without further procrastination, while CPI(M)’s John Brittas argued that the House cannot function normally when the credibility of future elections is under question.

The flashpoint is the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise covering Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal—several of which face assembly elections in 2026—along with a parallel “Special Revision” in Assam. Opposition parties allege large-scale discrepancies, unexplained deletions, and partisan officiating that could potentially disenfranchise millions, charges the government maintains are baseless and politically motivated.

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