In times of protest against EC, rare all-party praise for Punjab CEO over SIR

As protests erupted against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision of electoral rolls, Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra garnered rare all-party praise on Monday. Following the publication of the final electoral rolls after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), representatives from the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), BJP, and AAP commended Mitra for her handling of the process.

Congress and AAP leaders later clarified that their praise was specifically for Punjab and should not be seen as endorsement of the broader SIR, which has sparked opposition protests in Delhi and beyond. The final rolls for all 117 Assembly constituencies, released on Monday, feature 2,01,00,727 electors, a 3.64 percent increase from the draft roll published on August 13.

Mitra's approach earned accolades for her responsiveness to concerns, willingness to address queries, and her efforts to resolve issues during the SIR exercise.