More than 2.06 crore electors have not been included in Maharashtra's draft voter rolls after the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP and Election Commission of manipulating electoral rolls, calling the alleged practice “vote chori”.
The 2.06 crore figure relates to the draft roll; eligible voters can file claims and objections before the final electoral roll is published.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday slammed the Election Commission as “BJP Kursi Bachao Aayog” and “Vote Chori Aayog”, and said the ruling party's conspiracy to “hollow out” India's democracy through “vote chori” has come out in the open for which people will punish them.
Kharge said people have understood the BJP's conspiracy, and they are now uniting against the theft of votes and will punish those behind it.
Why Were 2.07 Crore Names Left Out?
More than 2.06 crore electors, accounting for 21.14 per cent of Maharashtra's previous voter base, have not figured in the draft rolls issued after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the chief electoral officer said on Monday, as per PTI.
The draft rolls currently have more than 7.71 crore voters, or 78.86 per cent of the previous electorate. It comprises 3.95 crore men, 3.75 crore women, and 3,087 third-gender voters, according to the state election authorities.
Why Is Rahul Gandhi Calling It ‘Vote Theft’?
With more than 2.06 crore electors excluded from Maharashtra's draft electoral rolls after the SIR exercise, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the “Vote Chori Aayog” keep changing their tactics and will continue to do so as their goal is to ensure the BJP's victory at any cost.
Gandhi said that for a government built on “vote chori”, people are not important and that is why the BJP neither listens to them nor obeys their command.
“The BJP and the ‘Vote Chori Aayog’ keep changing their tactics, and they will continue to do so… The goal remains just one: BJP's victory at any cost, and the end of India's democracy,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said in a post on X.
Kharge claimed that the BJP adds votes where it suits them and splits them where it does not.
“The BJP's conspiracy to hollow out Indian democracy through 'vote chori' is coming out in the open. Where it suits the BJP, voters are added; where it does not, votes are split,” the Congress chief alleged in a post on X in Hindi.
“Instead of acting as the guardian of fair elections, the Election Commission is functioning like the 'BJP Ki Kursi Bachao Aayog',” he added.
In Maharashtra, Kharge said, 39 lakh voters increased suddenly between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2024, but now 2.07 crore voters have been left out of the SIR draft list.
In Bengal, he said, 91 per cent of names removed from the SIR had to be reinstated after appeals.
“The question is, were these voters removed during elections to make the BJP win?” Kharge asked.
He said the same game is being repeated in Delhi.
“Voters were increased before the (2025) Assembly elections. Then names of 47.56 lakh voters vanished from the draft list and preparations are underway to issue notices to 33 lakh more voters,” he alleged.
In Telangana and Karnataka, Kharge said, Congress workers are facing similar manipulations every day.
“The country is now uniting against 'vote chori'. The nation has understood the BJP's conspiracy. The thief has been caught. Punishment will surely be meted out for holding democracy captive!” the Congress chief said.
