The Congress intensified its criticism of the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday, describing its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as “deeply disappointing”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the ruling party is seeking to manipulate the SIR process for “vote chori” (vote theft).
Kharge added that public confidence in democratic institutions is already fragile, and the EC’s conduct during the SIR process has been “deeply disappointing.”
The Congress intensified its criticism of the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday, describing its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as “deeply disappointing”. They demanded that the poll panel prove it is acting independently and not under the influence of the BJP.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the ruling party is seeking to manipulate the SIR process for “vote chori” (vote theft), as he chaired a strategy meeting with senior party officials from 12 states and Union territories where the SIR is currently underway.
The meeting included Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, along with state unit heads, Congress Legislature Party leaders, and secretaries from the 12 states and UTs.
“We held a comprehensive strategy review with AICC general secretaries, AICC in-charges, PCCs, CLPs, and AICC secretaries from the states/UTs where the SIR process is underway. The Congress Party is unequivocally committed to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral rolls,” Kharge said on X after the meeting.
Kharge added that public confidence in democratic institutions is already fragile, and the EC’s conduct during the SIR process has been “deeply disappointing.” He stressed that the Election Commission must “immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJP’s shadow and it remembers its Constitutional oath and allegiance to the people of India, not to any ruling party.”
He accused the BJP of attempting to weaponise the SIR process for electoral gains, warning that if the EC ignores such actions, its inaction would amount to “a complicity of silence.”
“Our workers, BLOs, and District/City/Block Presidents will therefore remain relentlessly vigilant. We will expose every attempt, however subtle, to delete genuine voters or insert bogus ones,” Kharge said. The Congress leader emphasized that the party would not allow democratic safeguards to be undermined through partisan misuse of institutions.
The party’s criticism comes after its poor showing in Bihar, where the NDA secured a decisive victory with 202 seats, compared to the Mahagathbandhan’s 35. The Congress has questioned the EC’s role in the electoral process.
According to the Election Commission, more than 50 crore of nearly 51 crore electors across nine states and three Union territories have received enumeration forms under the ongoing SIR process. The EC’s daily bulletin stated that 50.11 crore forms have been distributed, covering 98.32 percent of the 50.99 crore electors.
The SIR exercise is underway in Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. Of these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are scheduled to vote in 2026, while Assam has also initiated a special revision ahead of its 2026 elections. Phase-II of the SIR began on November 4 with the enumeration stage and will continue until December 4.
Last week, Rahul Gandhi described the Bihar results as “surprising” and said the elections had not been fair from the outset. He noted that the Congress and the INDIA bloc would conduct a detailed review of the outcome, asserting that the results reflected “vote chori on a gigantic scale, masterminded by the prime minister, the home minister, [and] the EC.”
Gandhi’s campaign against the BJP in Bihar had consistently highlighted allegations of “vote chori.”
With PTI inputs
