CM Dhami: Congress troubled by mandate, not process
Synopsis
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami attacked Congress for raising objections to EVMs, the Election Commission, and the Special Intensive Revision exercise, charging that the party's real problem is with electoral mandates — not electoral processes.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami posted on 13 October 2026 accusing Congress of shifting targets — from EVMs to the Election Commission to the SIR exercise — because it lacks substantive issues.
He alleged that Rahul Gandhi seeks to create 'confusion and anarchy' through 'baseless allegations and perpetually controversy-creating politics.' The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an Election Commission exercise to revise voter rolls in select states, which has drawn opposition objections.
Congress has a documented history of questioning EVM integrity after the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha results and raising voter-list concerns in 2024 .
With state assembly polls approaching, the SIR dispute is expected to intensify, with Congress potentially filing petitions in courts or before the Election Commission.
When a ruling party and its principal opposition clash over the integrity of elections themselves, the fault lines run deeper than any single poll result — and on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made that argument directly, accusing Congress and Rahul Gandhi of manufacturing controversy around electoral institutions rather than confronting voter verdicts.
In a sharp post on X, Dhami wrote — 'कांग्रेस को चुनाव प्रक्रिया से नहीं, बल्कि चुनाव में मिलने वाले जनादेश से परेशानी है' — translated: 'Congress has a problem not with the electoral process, but with the mandate that comes out of elections.' He further charged that Rahul Gandhi's 'baseless allegations and perpetually controversy-creating politics' aim to spread 'confusion and anarchy' in the country — but will never succeed.
EVM, Election Commission, and now SIR: a familiar arc
Dhami's post lists three specific targets of Congress criticism in sequence: Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Election Commission of India, and now the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — the Election Commission's exercise to revise and clean up electoral rolls in select states. The SIR has drawn opposition objections over fears of voter deletions or additions that could affect poll outcomes.
The pattern Dhami describes has clear historical precedent. Congress and allied parties raised EVM reliability concerns after the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, demanding paper ballots or expanded VVPAT verification. By 2024, the focus shifted to alleged discrepancies in voter lists, with petitions filed in courts and protests outside Election Commission offices. The SIR controversy represents the latest chapter in that long-running argument about institutional trust.
BJP's counter-framing: defend the outcome, not just the institution
Dhami's framing is pointed. Rather than simply defending the Election Commission of India as a constitutional body, he pivots to electoral outcomes — arguing that Congress's real grievance is losing, not procedural unfairness. It is a well-worn BJP counter: that opposition parties accept institutions when they win and question them when they lose.
The Indian National Congress, for its part, has maintained that questions about EVMs, voter rolls, and commission autonomy are legitimate democratic concerns — not sour-grapes politics. With assembly polls in several states on the horizon, the debate over the SIR exercise and electoral roll accuracy is unlikely to fade quietly.
What the SIR dispute signals ahead of state polls
The specific timing of this exchange matters. Special Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls are typically conducted ahead of elections, making any controversy around them politically charged. Opposition parties watching voter-list changes in key constituencies have incentive to contest the process loudly — while the ruling establishment has equal incentive to frame that contestation as obstruction or bad faith.
Whether Congress files fresh petitions in courts or approaches the Election Commission with formal objections over the SIR will be the next concrete test of how far this particular dispute travels.
India's democratic argument over who controls the narrative of electoral legitimacy has never really paused — it only changes its vocabulary with each cycle.
Point of View
The Election Commission, and the SIR in one breath, he draws a line of continuity that makes Congress look like a serial obstructor rather than a watchdog. The charge lands hardest ahead of state elections, when voter-roll revisions are most consequential and most contested. What this exchange will not resolve is the underlying question — one that courts and commissions, not Twitter posts, ultimately have to answer — of whether the SIR process itself meets the bar of procedural transparency.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that Congress is objecting to?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update and clean up electoral rolls in select states, typically before elections. Opposition parties have raised concerns that the process could lead to improper deletion or addition of voter names.
Why is CM Dhami criticising Rahul Gandhi over elections?
Dhami accused Rahul Gandhi of raising 'baseless allegations' about electoral institutions — EVMs, the Election Commission, and the SIR — to spread confusion, arguing that Congress's real objection is to election results, not the process itself.
What has Congress said about EVMs in the past?
Congress and allied parties questioned EVM reliability after the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, demanding paper ballots or wider VVPAT verification. By 2024, the focus expanded to alleged discrepancies in voter lists and Election Commission autonomy.
What is Pushkar Singh Dhami's role in national politics?
Pushkar Singh Dhami is the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and a prominent BJP leader who regularly comments on national political debates, including electoral integrity and opposition conduct.
What happens next in the Congress-BJP dispute over electoral rolls?
Congress may file petitions in courts or formally approach the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. The dispute is expected to sharpen as state assembly elections approach and voter-list revisions become more politically sensitive.
