Tirupati: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a protest in Tirupati on Friday against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, calling it a serious threat to India’s parliamentary democracy.

Speaking at the protest near the old municipal office, CPM district secretary Vandavasi Nagaraju alleged that the SIR includes provisions that undermine citizens’ right to vote. He accused the Election Commission of acting on the Union Home Ministry’s orders, claiming it was being misused to deny voting rights to lakhs of citizens and benefit the BJP politically.

He said the BJP and RSS were using SIR as a tool to further their communal agenda under the guise of electoral reform. Although currently being implemented in Bihar, Nagaraju warned that SIR is likely to be extended nationwide.

Drawing parallels with earlier controversial initiatives like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and National Population Register (NPR), he said SIR was a backdoor attempt to revive rejected policies.

Highlighting its impact, Nagaraju said nearly 30 lakh migrant workers in Bihar had received notices for removal from voter rolls. “People who travel for work or lack documents will be stripped of their right to vote. Minorities are being unfairly targeted,” he said.

He called the new verification rules unjust and difficult for the poor and illiterate to comply with, demanding that the Election Commission immediately halt the SIR. CPM leaders T Subramanyam, K Venugopal, S Jayachandra, M Madhav, P Bujji, and others participated in the protest.