Gandhinagar, Feb 18 (NationPress) Following the unveiling of the final voter list in Gujarat, political parties have expressed strong reactions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come forward to support the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), while the Congress has voiced concerns regarding transparency and procedural integrity.

On Tuesday, Gujarat BJP Spokesperson Anil Patel defended the voter list purification initiative, known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), emphasizing that this process has been implemented across India since independence.

Patel remarked, "Mistakes like duplicate entries or unremoved names of deceased voters can happen occasionally. For Gujarat, the final electoral draft has effectively distinguished valid entries from invalid ones. Citizens who turned 18 as of January 1 can still apply using Form-6, and any remaining discrepancies can be rectified using Forms 6, 7, and 8."

Patel further criticized Congress leaders, asserting, "Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Congress has sometimes propagated misleading narratives against the Election Commission, seeking to disrupt democratic processes. Media platforms have also been utilized to stir controversy. The statistics from the Election Commission reveal the facts."

The state BJP spokesperson underscored that the BJP perceives voters as partners in democracy, rather than just a vote bank.

He added that regardless of whether the elections are for local self-governance, the state Assembly, or Parliament, the party competes based on its organizational strength and government performance, fully trusting in public support.

Conversely, Amit Chavda, President of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, criticized certain elements of the SIR process.

Chavda stated, "The Special Intensive Revision commenced on October 27 last year. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited households to update voter information. Some BLOs faced intense mental pressure, resulting in tragic losses, including suicides due to extreme distress."

He detailed the final voter list, noting, "The draft SIR list saw the removal of 74 lakh voters. The final SIR list now features 4,40,30,725 voters, a decrease of 68,12,711 names from the previous list. A total of 9,56,000 new voters have been added, with 3,95,555 names eliminated. The Election Commission should release booth-wise details of these changes to the public."

Chavda also demanded accountability, stating, "Criminal action should be taken against those submitting false Form 7s. The public deserves to know which officers were involved, and CCTV footage of submissions should be disclosed. No legitimate voter should be disenfranchised. During this process, Congress and the public demonstrated to protect voting rights against any collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission."

The SIR process, carried out over three months, included thorough field verification to eliminate duplicate entries, the names of deceased voters, and those who had moved away.