Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram issued a strong rebuke of the Election Commission of India (ECI), sharply criticising its approach to addressing concerns around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. He stated that the ECI is not a court and condemned its refusal to hear public complaints, describing the silence as a “death of democracy.”

Chidambaram's comments come amid growing unrest and protests by opposition MPs who accuse the ECI of mishandling electoral revisions. He argued that denying citizens and political representatives a proper grievance mechanism undermines democratic principles.

While the SIR exercise was intended to update and clean voter rolls, critics—including Chidambaram—have expressed concerns that it could lead to wrongful deletion of names and silence genuine claims. The ECI’s refusal to engage directly with such objections has heightened frustration among lawmakers.

Chidambaram called on the Election Commission to demonstrate openness and accountability by setting up formal channels to hear genuine grievances. He stressed that institutions tasked with upholding democratic fairness must be accessible and responsive, especially during sensitive reforms like the SIR process.