JAIPUR: In Rajasthan, political tensions have sharply escalated over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, with the Congress alleging large-scale irregularities and targeted deletion of voters aligned with the party.
The Congress has claimed that on the final day for filing claims and objections under the SIR, a large number of fraudulent Form-7 applications - used for the removal of voters’ names - were submitted across several districts.
In Jodhpur, reports have emerged from Sardarpura, the assembly constituency of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, where the names of several Congress workers were allegedly removed from the electoral rolls in Muslim-majority wards 7 and 8.
A similar situation has been reported from Alwar district, where objections were suddenly filed against 1,397 voters in the Ramgarh assembly constituency, triggering panic in rural areas. Most of the affected voters reportedly belong to the Muslim community.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot raised the issue on social media platform X, alleging direct interference in the SIR process. “On the last day of the SIR process, under a well-planned conspiracy, pressure was put on booth-level officers through electoral registration officers to remove the names of voters with Congress ideology. Even pre-filled Form-7s were handed over to the BLOs, which is a direct attack on the fair election process,” Gehlot wrote.
Amid these allegations, the Congress staged protests on Friday in several districts, including Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar, Dausa, Bharatpur, and Nagaur. Party workers submitted memorandums to district collectors and sub-divisional magistrates, alleging irregularities in the SIR process.
Earlier on Thursday, a Congress delegation met State Chief Electoral Officer Naveen Mahajan and submitted a memorandum alleging a conspiracy to target voters with Congress leanings. The delegation was led by Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully and included PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra, deputy leader of the opposition Ramkesh Meena, and chief whip Rafiq Khan.
Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra also issued a stern warning to officials, stating that while governments may change, those involved in wrongdoing would not be spared.
Addressing a press conference, Dotasra said, “I warn all those officers who are disregarding the rules and speaking the language of the BJP. If even the slightest dishonesty is detected, an FIR will be registered. The Congress will not back down.”
The controversy has its roots in the BJP’s repeated allegations that the Congress is attempting to protect Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters.
Amid the escalating political row, the Election Commission issued a fresh update on the SIR process, clarifying that voters whose names do not appear in the revised list will still be allowed to file objections and seek corrections. The Commission has extended the deadline for the SIR process in Rajasthan, with the revised order also applicable to Puducherry, Goa, Lakshadweep, and West Bengal.
Despite the extension, Congress has remained on the offensive. Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully alleged that the BJP had made a nefarious attempt to tamper with the voter list through the SIR process to remove Congress-supporting voters. He also questioned the rationale behind extending the deadline for filing objections, alleging that the move was intended to give the BJP another opportunity to manipulate the voter list.
