New Delhi/Ahmedabad, Jan 24 (NationPress) The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has intensified the political controversy surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He accused the electoral roll initiative of being exploited as a mechanism for “planned and strategic vote theft” not just in Gujarat but in multiple states.

In a recent post on X, Rahul Gandhi asserted that a concerning pattern has surfaced wherever the SIR is enacted. “Wherever there is SIR, there is vote theft,” he stated, claiming that the process occurring in Gujarat under the guise of administrative operations is “not an administrative procedure at all, but a deliberate, organised and strategic attempt to steal votes.”

Labeling the situation as “shocking and dangerous,” Rahul Gandhi pointed out that numerous objections had been filed under identical names.

“The most alarming fact is that thousands upon thousands of objections have been registered under a single name,” he remarked, questioning the acceptance of such applications without due diligence.

He further claimed that specific demographics and polling booths thought to be supportive of Congress were being disproportionately targeted.

“Votes are being cut from chosen sections and Congress-supporting booths. Wherever the BJP senses defeat, voters themselves are made to disappear from the system,” he noted.

Drawing parallels with previous occurrences, he mentioned that a similar trend was seen in Aland and Rajura.

“The same blueprint was used in Aland, the same happened in Rajura, and now that very blueprint is being implemented in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and every state where SIR has been imposed,” he elaborated.

Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling BJP of eroding the constitutional principle of electoral equality.

“SIR has been turned into a weapon to destroy the constitutional right of 'one person, one vote', allowing the BJP to dictate who will govern,” he emphasized.

His comments come shortly after similar accusations from opposition parties in Gujarat.

During a press conference in Ahmedabad on January 21, Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat President Isudan Gadhvi alleged that over nine lakh applications requesting voter deletions were submitted during the SIR process.

“Such a sudden and massive number of applications is highly suspicious and aimed at weakening democracy,” he stated, asserting that voters perceived to support opposition parties were being singled out.

Echoing these sentiments, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda claimed that nearly ten lakh fraudulent Form-7 applications were filed within a short timespan.

“The Form-7 applications were negligible until January 15 and then deposited in bulk between January 16 and 18. This clearly indicates a planned conspiracy,” Chavda asserted, demanding transparency from the Election Commission while threatening protests and legal action if any eligible voter was disenfranchised.