Meet urges people to avoid SIR exercises

Speakers at a meeting titled ‘Challenges facing the Constitution of India’ held in Tirupati on Sunday appealed to the public to join the tirade against the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls taken up by the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying it was an attempt to subvert democratic principles.

The meeting was attended by economic analyst Parakala Prabhakar, who urged the public to shun SIR as it was “solely aimed at removing votes from the electoral roll”, which he said was part of the “oppressive policy” of the NDA government at the Centre. He saw a ploy to remove 16.5 million voters from the rolls in the near future.

At the changing of the guard in West Bengal, he condemned the deployment of the state’s 2.5 lakh police force in the state, while failing to send sufficient forces to trouble-ridden Manipur.

Former MLCs KS Lakshman Rao and Jalli Wilson, former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Intellectual Forum President Chalasani Srinivasa Rao, CPI(M) State Secretary V. Srinivasa Rao and CPI State Secretary G. Eswaraiah are ruling.”

Published – 17 May 2026 20:36 IST