SIR Draft Rolls Trigger Political Clash: Congress, AAP Question Deletions; BJP Defends Electoral Revision

New Delhi: The publication of draft electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Maharashtra and Delhi has triggered a political confrontation.

The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have questioned the deletions, while the BJP has defended the exercise as transparent and necessary to ensure eligible voters are registered in only one place.

Rahul Gandhi Targets BJP, Poll Panel

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at the BJP and the Election Commission over the exclusion of more than 2.06 crore electors from Maharashtra's draft electoral roll following the SIR exercise.

Rahul alleged that the BJP and what he called the "Vote Chori Aayog" keep changing their tactics, but their objective remains the BJP's victory "at any cost".

"For a government built on 'vote chori', the people are not important - that's why this BJP neither listens to the people nor obeys their command," he said in a post on X.

The Congress leader referred to the addition of 39 lakh voters between Maharashtra's 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and alleged that it amounted to "vote theft". He also cited the SIR exercise in Bengal, claiming that 91 per cent of names removed there were restored following appeals.

His remarks came after Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said more than 2.06 crore electors, or 21.14 per cent of the previous voter base, did not figure in the draft roll. The draft currently has more than 7.71 crore voters.

Congress leader Pawan Khera also attacked the BJP and the Election Commission over the Maharashtra figures, alleging that "votes are being stolen in the state in real time".

Khera referred to the addition of nearly 40 lakh electors between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and said Congress had raised concerns over the increase at the time. He alleged that the party's objections were dismissed.

According to Maharashtra election authorities, 34.82 lakh voters were identified as deceased, 1.54 crore were categorised as permanently shifted, absent or under other categories, while 17.67 lakh were found enrolled at multiple locations.

The state authorities said recognised political parties participated in the exercise, with 3,35,910 Booth Level Agents appointed across Maharashtra.

AAP Seeks Details Of Deleted Delhi Voters

In Delhi, AAP's state unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the Election Commission had not shared with political parties the names, phone numbers and addresses of voters whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls.

Bharadwaj said the party had sought the information in writing and during meetings with election officials, and claimed the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer had assured them that the details would be provided.

He said the absence of the information prevented political parties from verifying whether the deletions were genuine or involved irregularities. Bharadwaj said AAP did not want to approach the courts, citing ongoing legal cases in Bihar and West Bengal.

The draft Delhi roll excluded 47.5 lakh electors from the existing 1.45 crore voter base. Burari recorded the highest number of deletions at 1.67 lakh, while Tughlakabad had the highest percentage of deletions at 47.85 per cent.

BJP Defends SIR, Hits Back at Kejriwal

Delhi BJP president and Union Minister Harsh Malhotra defended the SIR exercise and hit back at AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, saying every genuine and eligible voter who submitted the required form and documents had been included in the draft roll.

Malhotra said the revision in Delhi was conducted over nearly four months, with voters allowed to submit forms through booth-level officers or online. Representatives of political parties were also associated with the exercise, he said.

"The objective of the SIR process is to ensure that every adult citizen of the country is registered as a voter at only one place in the country," Malhotra said.

He alleged that Kejriwal objected because some of his supporters, who were registered as voters in multiple places, had been removed.

"If Kejriwal believes that any genuine and eligible voter has been left out despite submitting the form, he should present such cases before the Election Commission," Malhotra said.

Malhotra added that eligible voters whose names are missing from the draft can seek registration by providing proof of eligibility. He also attacked Kejriwal politically, saying he should focus on the AAP's future instead of targeting constitutional institutions.

The Election Commission's timetable allows claims and objections to the Delhi draft roll, and Maharashtra voters whose names are missing can also file them before the final rolls are published.

Also Read:

1. Nearly 2.5 Crore Names Left Out As Maharashtra, Delhi Publish SIR Draft Voter Roll; Sept 30 Deadline For Raising Objections
2. Election Commission Chalo Protest Against ECI On Sept 1 At Freedom Park: Actor Prakash Raj
3. Number Of Polling Stations Increases To 14,947 In Delhi After Rationalisation Under SIR