New Delhi/Ahmedabad, Jan 24 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, sharply escalated the political row over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the electoral roll exercise was being misused as a tool for “planned and strategic vote theft” in Gujarat and other states.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the same pattern had emerged wherever the SIR was implemented.

“Wherever there is SIR, there is vote theft,” he said, alleging that what was being carried out in Gujarat in the name of an administrative process was “not an administrative procedure at all, but a deliberate, organised and strategic attempt to steal votes”.

Calling the situation “shocking and dangerous”, Rahul Gandhi alleged that thousands of objections had been filed under the same name.

“The most alarming fact is that thousands upon thousands of objections have been registered under a single name,” he said, questioning how such applications could be accepted without scrutiny.

He further alleged that voters from specific sections of society and booths perceived to be Congress supporters were selectively targeted.

“Votes are being cut from chosen sections and Congress-supporting booths. Wherever the BJP senses defeat, voters themselves are made to disappear from the system,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with earlier instances, he added that the same pattern had been observed in Aland and Rajura.

“The same blueprint was used in Aland, the same happened in Rajura, and now that very blueprint is being implemented in Gujarat, Rajasthan and every state where SIR has been imposed,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling BJP of undermining the constitutional principle of electoral equality.

“SIR has been turned into a weapon to destroy the constitutional right of ‘one person, one vote’, so that it is not the people but the BJP that decides who will rule,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi’s remarks come days after similar allegations were raised by opposition parties in Gujarat.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad on January 21, Aam Aadmi Party’s Gujarat President Isudan Gadhvi alleged that more than nine lakh applications seeking voter deletions were filed during the SIR exercise.

“Such a sudden and massive number of applications is highly suspicious and aimed at weakening democracy,” he said, claiming that voters perceived to support opposition parties were being targeted.

Echoing these concerns, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda alleged that nearly 10 lakh false Form-7 applications were submitted within a brief period.

“The Form-7 applications were negligible until January 15 and then deposited in bulk between January 16 and 18. This clearly indicates a planned conspiracy,” Chavda said, demanding transparency from the Election Commission and warning of protests and legal action if any eligible voter was disenfranchised.

–IANS

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