Opposition raises SIR concerns in Gujarat Assembly debate; Speaker allows limited discussion on exercise

Key Highlights

• The debate began after the BJP government sought passage of an appropriation Bill to regularise expenditure incurred on SIR-related work in the State.
• While Speaker Shankar Chaudhary had already allowed two Congress MLAs and one AAP legislator to speak on the Bill, Gujarat Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia raised a point of order contending that matters pertaining to Election Commission of India (EC) cannot be discussed in the State Assembly.
• Citing Article 324 of the Constitution, he said the EC is an autonomous constitutional body responsible for conducting Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections and that the State government has no authority to interfere in its processes, including voter list preparation or revision.
• He argued that while state machinery performs election-related tasks, it does so strictly under the control of ECI as per Representation of the People Act.
• Issues concerning voter list revisions, EVMs, VVPATs and related matters therefore fall outside the jurisdiction of the state government, Mr.