Gujarat SIR: Rahul Gandhi claims EC no longer protector of democracy, but conduit in ‘vote chori’
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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat was being misused as a carefully planned and organised exercise to manipulate votes, and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of playing an active role in it.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the constitutional idea of “one person, one vote” was being systematically weakened, claiming that the process was being used to ensure that political power remained with the ruling BJP rather than reflecting the will of voters.
In a post on X written in Hindi, Gandhi asserted that areas where the SIR exercise had been carried out had subsequently witnessed instances of alleged vote theft. “The exercise in Gujarat is not a routine administrative process but a deliberate strategy aimed at manipulating electoral outcomes,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi said the most disturbing feature of the electoral roll revision was the submission of thousands of objections under identical names, which he said cast serious doubt on the credibility and intent of the entire exercise, TNIE reported.
He alleged that voters from particular communities and polling booths known to support the Congress were being selectively deleted from the rolls. According to Gandhi, in constituencies where the BJP feared defeat, voters were effectively being made to vanish from the system.
Claiming there was a discernible pattern, he said similar methods had earlier been deployed in Aland and Rajura and were now being repeated in Gujarat, Rajasthan and other states where the SIR process had been undertaken.
Gandhi also accused the Election Commission of failing in its duty as an independent constitutional body, alleging that it had shifted from safeguarding democracy to becoming an active participant in what he described as a larger conspiracy to manipulate votes.
His remarks came after a social media post by the Gujarat Congress, which claimed that following Gandhi’s exposure of alleged vote manipulation, the BJP had moved to a more advanced model of election rigging.
The state Congress unit said election rules require the Election Commission to publish a draft electoral roll after completing the SIR and invite objections up to January 18. It claimed that while only a limited number of objections were filed until January 15, a sudden surge of millions of Form 7 objections followed, which the party alleged was part of a coordinated effort.
According to the Gujarat Congress, data released by the Election Commission showing 1.2 million objections suggested that procedures were violated to target specific castes, communities and regions. The party alleged that multiple objections were filed in the name of single individuals, often with varying names and signatures, while the Election Commission failed to intervene.
The Gujarat Congress further claimed that despite seeking detailed information through a formal communication, it received no response from the Election Commission. This, the party said, reflected a lack of transparency and indicated large-scale electoral manipulation, alleging that the poll body had compromised its accountability.