‘How Does Anti-Incumbency Disappear?’ Rahul Gandhi Questions SIR Process After Report on EC Dissent (Videos)
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, referring to an Indian Express report about two Election Commissioners raising objections over discrepancies in the exercise.
New Delhi, September 24: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, referring to an Indian Express report about two Election Commissioners raising objections over discrepancies in the exercise.
Speaking in Delhi, Gandhi said anti-incumbency has historically been a significant factor in Indian elections and questioned how it could seemingly disappear in several states.
"I come from a political family, and I have spent more than 50 years in a political family," Gandhi said. He cited examples of Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, where governments and political parties have changed over the years.
Rahul Gandhi Questions ‘Disappearance’ of Anti-Incumbency, Raises SIR Concerns After Report on EC Dissent
#WATCH | Delhi: Reacting to Indian Express report on 2 ECs objecting to discrepancies in SIR process, LoP Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi says, "I want to put some points across here about what has recently been in the news... I come from a political family, and I have spent more than 50… pic.twitter.com/VnDeKvRXZO
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2026
#WATCH | Delhi: Reacting to Indian Express report on 2 ECs objecting to discrepancies in SIR process, LoP Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi says, "Haryana swings from one party to another for 50 years. Suddenly anti-incumbency disappears. Maharashtra swings; suddenly it disappears. Uttar… pic.twitter.com/xDiMlJD1Pe
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2026
"In India, there is a fundamental force called anti-incumbency that very quickly starts to resist any government. It does not spare anybody," he said, citing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's experience after the 1971 Bangladesh war. ‘Enemies of Constitution Exposed’: Rahul Gandhi to Hold News Conference at 4 PM Today.
Gandhi then questioned why, according to him, the same pattern does not appear to apply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP.
"We can understand the popularity of a person, and the performance of a government, but we cannot understand how anti-incumbency disappears," he said. Rahul Gandhi Calls Sahil Wakode’s Parents, Assures Help in IIT Bombay Death Case.
Referring to the electoral process, Gandhi said the vote is the foundation through which the Constitution derives its power and laws and institutions are subsequently established.
"If the vote has been destroyed, then our Constitution has been destroyed. If our Constitution has been destroyed, our laws are illegal. If our laws are illegal, our institutions are meaningless," he said.
Gandhi described the issue as extending beyond the electoral process, saying it concerned the "basic infrastructure" through which citizens express themselves.
"We have been saying it again and again and again that there is a problem with the vote," he said.
His remarks came in response to the report concerning objections raised by two Election Commissioners during the SIR process. The Special Intensive Revision involves verification and revision of electoral rolls and has emerged as a contentious political issue, with opposition parties raising concerns over the exercise and the Election Commission defending the process.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2026 05:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
