Thiruvananthapuram, October 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Actor-activist Prakash Raj on Wednesday demanded the immediate scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise threatens citizens’ voting rights and amounts to an attempt to undermine democracy.
Addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Raj also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for legal accountability for those involved in implementing the SIR process.
Raj alleged that the exercise could potentially deprive more than 13 crore people across the country of their constitutional right to vote. He warned that such a situation could create two categories of citizens — those with voting rights and those without them.
“Now we are realising the conspiracy and the agenda behind SIR,” Raj said, while tracing the evolution of universal adult franchise in independent India.
He recalled the debates surrounding the adoption of the Constitution and said the country’s founding leaders, including B.R. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, rejected the idea of restricting voting rights based on education, social status or economic circumstances.
Raj said India’s decision to give every citizen the power to elect representatives was one of the foundational principles of its democracy.
“This country would give everyone the power to elect their representatives, who would represent their issues — whether they are farmers, Adivasis, Dalits or minorities,” he said.
The actor-activist urged citizens to come out in support of their voting rights and said further programmes of resistance would be organised at the local level.
He also announced plans for public tribunals involving people who claim to have been affected by the electoral roll revision process.
Raj’s remarks come amid a wider political and civil society debate over the SIR exercise, with concerns being raised over the possible exclusion of eligible voters from electoral rolls.
He appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and resist what he described as attempts to roll back their democratic rights.
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