NEW DELHI: Alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat is being misused as a “well-planned, organised and strategic vote chori”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of becoming an active participant.
Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote” is being systematically undermined so that political power is determined by the ruling BJP rather than the electorate.
In one of his posts on X, written in Hindi, Gandhi said that wherever the SIR has been implemented, instances of vote theft have followed. “The exercise in Gujarat is not a routine administrative process but a deliberate strategy aimed at manipulating electoral outcomes,” he said.
He said the most alarming aspect of the revision process was the filing of thousands of objections under the same names, raising serious questions about the credibility and intent of the exercise.
Gandhi alleged that voters belonging to specific communities and polling booths traditionally supportive of the Congress were selectively removed from the electoral rolls. He claimed that in constituencies where the BJP anticipates defeat, voters are made to “disappear” from the system.
Pointing to what he described as a clear pattern, Gandhi said similar tactics had earlier been used in Aland and Rajura and were now being replicated in Gujarat, Rajasthan and other states where the SIR has been conducted.
He further accused the Election Commission of abandoning its role as an independent constitutional authority. “The most serious truth is that the Election Commission is no longer the protector of democracy, but has become a key participant in this conspiracy of vote theft,” he added.
Gandhi’s remarks followed a social media post by the Gujarat Congress, which alleged that after he exposed vote manipulation, the BJP adopted what it described as a “next-level model” of election rigging.
The party’s state unit claimed that under election rules, the Election Commission released a draft electoral roll after the SIR and invited objections until January 18. While only a small number of objections were received until January 15, the Congress alleged that millions of objections in Form 7 were suddenly filed thereafter as part of a larger conspiracy.
According to the Gujarat Congress, when the Election Commission released data showing 1.2 million objections, it became evident that rules had been violated to target particular castes, communities and regions. The party alleged that dozens of objections were filed in the name of a single individual, often with different names and signatures, while the Election Commission remained a “silent spectator”.
The Congress’ Gujarat unit further alleged that when the principal opposition party sought detailed information on the objections through a formal letter, it received no response. This lack of transparency, it said, exposed large-scale rigging and showed that the Election Commission had compromised its responsibility and accountability.
