New Delhi: The Election Commission has no legal basis to conduct the SIR and it must be stopped, Congress MP Manish Tewari said on Tuesday and made a slew of suggestions for election reforms, including either mandating a 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips or reverting to paper ballots.

Initiating the discussion on Election Reforms in the Lok Sabha, Tewari also called for disallowing direct cash transfers to people ahead of polls and adding two members -- the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Chief Justice of India -- to the existing three-member panel to select the chief election commissioner and the two election commissioners.

The Congress leader said the 2023 law stipulates that the panel to select the election commission and the two election commissioners should comprise the prime minister, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and a Cabinet minister.

"It is my suggestion that two members should be added to this panel -- the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Chief Justice of India," Tewari said.

If such a committee is formed then 'theek se khela hobe' and it will play an important role in removing the doubts over the Election Commission (EC), he said.

The Congress leader said that BR Ambedkar ensured that the EC would be a permanent body.

"It was expected of the EC that it will work as a neutral umpire, but regretfully I have to say that many members sitting on this side (pointing to opposition benches) and many people feel the need to raise questions over its neutrality," Tewari said.

Tewari also attacked the government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue. "I have to say with regret that the Special Intensive Revision (of electoral rolls) is being discussed throughout the country. The SIR is happening in many states, but I am saying with a lot of responsibility that legally, EC has no right to conduct SIR," Tewari said.

Reading from the laws made by the Parliament, he claimed that there is no provision for SIR in the Constitution or in the law.

"This is just a right to the EC that if there is anything wrong with the electoral roll of a constituency, it can correct it for reasons that need to be recorded in writing and made public. Only then you can conduct SIR, you cannot do SIR for the whole of Bihar, or for the whole of Kerala, or for the whole of West Bengal," the Congress leader said.