Differences in CPM on SIR impact in Kerala polls; K K Shailaja denies role, K N Balagopal cites influence

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There are differences of opinion within the CPM over whether the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) affected the assembly election results in Kerala. When K K Shailaja said the LDF’s defeat could not be attributed to the voter list revision, K N Balagopal maintained that SIR had an influence on the election outcome. Amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the SIR process has become a subject of debate across the country.

Shailaja told media that the UDF had used the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) n a different way. She said the UDF was always willing to add votes illegally. She also said the UDF had created fear among certain sections of voters by making them believe that they would lose their voting rights if their names were removed from the electoral rolls. Shailaja said the Left had made strong efforts to counter this. However, she alleged that some people had attempted to create a false impression against the Left. She reiterated that SIR was not the reason for the LDF’s defeat. She added that one of the issues was that the UDF had not stood with the Left in adopting the right approach to counter the SIR process.

Meantime, CPM leader K N Balagopal has claimed that the revision of electoral rolls influenced the results of the last Assembly elections, including in Kerala. He said there are research reports citing data to substantiate this claim. The impact was also reflected in the BJP’s victory. He further alleged that Congress had also engaged in vote manipulation in other instances. Balagopal claimed that both the UDF and the BJP benefited from SIR and alleged that the BJP would benefit from it in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as well.

Meanwhile, Minister Sunny Joseph said the UDF’s victory in Kerala was the result of a strong wave in its favour. He questioned how the UDF could have secured a sweeping victory in the local body elections if the Assembly election result had also been manipulated. Joseph pointed that the local body elections were not held on the basis of the revised electoral rolls and that the SIR process had not taken place at the time.

The debate intensified after CJP chairman Abhijit Deepke alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan government was toppled in Kerala through the SIR process.