SP to remove ‘inactive’ district chiefs for laxity during SIR

Sources have indicated that some of the district chiefs who showed laxity are set to be removed post Makar Sanktranti later this week.

The Samajwadi Party may soon act against its district party presidents who were not “active” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Sources in the party have indicated that some of the district chiefs who showed laxity are set to be removed post Makar Sanktranti later this week.

(File)

On the condition of anonymity, a senior party leader said, “Our party leadership is very serious about the SIR process. Everyone has been asked to ensure that each and every vote is registered. We have to fight with the BJP and the system that is working in their favour. It’s a do or die situation for us in an attempt to save our votes.”

“Our booth level agents and workers are burning the midnight oil by holding camps and going door to door to ensure that each vote is saved. In such a condition, if anyone shows laxity, then they don’t deserve to be in the party anymore,” said the senior SP leader, and hinted at organisational changes within the party post the festival.

The party chief, Akhilesh Yadav, had announced “PDA Prahari”---a mechanism wherein booth level workers are to take note of the discrepancies they see and send it to their district chiefs and then to the state president Shyam Lal Pal. The state president will then compile the complaints and send them to the Election Commission.

Yadav has been critical of the poll panel and the BJP on the issue of SIR and had alleged that the exercise was actually an “NRC (National Register of Citizens) in disguise”. Yadav has also alleged rigging in the draft roll of the SIR, in which around 2.89 crore voters were deleted.

The party now focuses on their “PDA Praharis” or booth level workers to get Form 6 filled timely for enrollment of new votes or the ones who were left out during the SIR.