Rahul Gandhi alleged the SIR of electoral rolls is being used as a tool for “vote theft” in Bihar.
He highlighted cases where voters from marginalised communities were removed despite voting in 2024.
Gandhi accused the BJP and EC of collusion, pledging to safeguard the right to vote.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being used as a “new weapon” for “vote chori” (vote theft), claiming that the process had unjustly removed genuine voters from Bihar’s rolls.
In a post on his WhatsApp channel, Gandhi referred to his meeting in Sasaram on Sunday during the launch of his Vote Adhikar Yatra, where he spoke with individuals whose names were deleted despite having voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“These people are living proof of this theft,” Gandhi said, listing the names and backgrounds of those affected, including farmers, Dalits, backward class workers, women, and a retired soldier. “Even our soldiers were not spared,” he added.
He accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding with the Election Commission (EC) to target marginalised communities, stripping them of their democratic rights. “Neither will they have a vote, nor identity, nor rights,” Gandhi alleged, vowing to defend the principle of “one person, one vote.”