Is the Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Correct in Claiming the SIR Exercise Aims to Favor the BJP?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Allegations of Voter Deletion: Jitu Patwari claims the SIR exercise targets eligible voters.
- Congress Monitoring: The party is closely observing the SIR process in all districts.
- Presentation Scheduled: A detailed report will be shared on November 8.
- Election Commission's Role: The SIR process is critical for maintaining electoral integrity.
- Political Tensions: The situation has sparked significant political discourse in the state.
Bhopal, Nov 6 (NationPress) The president of the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh, Jitu Patwari, claimed on Thursday that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative conducted by the Election Commission (EC) is a deliberate effort to remove voters and favor the ruling BJP.
Patwari emphasized that the Madhya Pradesh Congress is vigilantly observing the ongoing SIR activities across all 55 districts, and the party plans to present a comprehensive report to the media on November 8.
This assertion was made following a meeting held by Patwari with party officials to evaluate feedback regarding the SIR exercise.
He asserted that the Congress party will ensure that the Election Commission does not eliminate even a single eligible voter from the state.
“The SIR initiative seeks to exclude voters from the list, but the Congress is closely monitoring the situation here in Madhya Pradesh. We will provide a thorough presentation on this matter on November 8 and unveil the BJP's agenda,” Patwari informed reporters at the Congress office in Bhopal.
It is important to note that the Election Commission commenced the second phase of the SIR process in nine states, including Madhya Pradesh, and three Union Territories (UTs) starting from November 4. This exercise is scheduled to run until December 4, 2025.
For this operation, one Block Level Officer (BLO) has been assigned to each of the 65,014 polling stations throughout the state, who will conduct door-to-door visits with enumeration forms.
As part of this effort, BLOs will deliver voter enumeration forms directly to electors at their homes. Claims and objections will be accepted until January 8, and after resolving all claims by January 31, the final voters’ list will be released on February 7.
Furthermore, Patwari remarked that the Congress leadership and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, presented new evidence regarding the alleged “vote theft” during the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
“The Election Commission has remained silent following Rahul Gandhi's revelations made to the media on Wednesday, while BJP leaders, including ministers and chief ministers, are responding to these claims. It is astonishing that the ECI has chosen to stay quiet,” Patwari noted.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also criticized Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making unfounded allegations to mislead voters in Bihar, where the first phase of Assembly elections is currently taking place.