Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mumbai legislator Ram Kadam on Sunday, 4 October 2026, challenged Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to clearly state that he opposes the removal of bogus voters, rather than repeatedly alleging 'vote chori' over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Kadam's remarks sharpen the BJP-Congress standoff over the SIR process, which has emerged as a flashpoint ahead of key electoral cycles.

Kadam's Salvo at Rahul Gandhi

Ram Kadam was blunt in his assessment of Gandhi's credibility on the electoral rolls issue. 'In the future, whenever a list is made of those leaders who keep on lying, Rahul Gandhi's name will be mentioned at the top,' he said. He argued that the Congress itself had organised a rally in Maharashtra demanding the removal of bogus voters and had even sought a postponement of polls — positions he accused Gandhi of conveniently forgetting. 'Rahul Gandhi has a habit of forgetting things, and that is why he doesn't remember the demands of his own party,' Kadam said.

SIR: Cleaning Rolls or Suppressing Votes?

Kadam insisted that the Special Intensive Revision is a routine and legitimate exercise to clean up the electoral rolls, and that raising allegations without evidence constitutes an 'attack on democracy.' He further accused the Leader of Opposition of 'humiliating' the Constitution and its institutional frameworks. The BJP leader's remarks come amid a broader Opposition campaign — led by Gandhi — alleging large-scale voter deletion under the SIR process. Critics of the SIR, however, argue that the exercise disproportionately affects marginalised and migrant communities.

Chidambaram and the CEC Row

Kadam also trained his fire on senior Indian National Congress (Congress) leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, who on Saturday had demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid reports of internal differences within the Election Commission. Kadam dismissed the demand, calling Opposition attacks on the CEC a 'planned conspiracy.' 'Does he not know about the rally undertaken by his party in Mumbai, demanding removal of bogus voters?' Kadam asked, referring to Chidambaram's criticism.

Foreign Funding Allegation and Broader Charges

Escalating the rhetoric, Kadam alleged that 'enemies sitting abroad' were funding efforts inside India to 'insult Constitutional establishments and spread anarchy,' citing a 7.8 per cent increase in real GDP as evidence of the country's momentum. He named the Congress, both Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, and the broader Opposition as being 'first in line' to facilitate such efforts — an allegation the named parties have not responded to as of the time of this report. Kadam also pointed to praise from leaders of countries including the United States, Australia, and Russia for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a marker of India's global standing.

The BJP-Congress face-off over the SIR is expected to intensify as the Election Commission finalises its revision schedule, with both sides likely to use it as a mobilisation issue going forward.