Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on the Election Commission over its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise could be used to influence voter lists.
Sibal called on the Supreme Court to intervene and stop what he described as large-scale deletion of names from electoral rolls. He also alleged that the revision exercise could benefit the BJP in upcoming elections.
His comments came amid renewed opposition criticism of the Election Commission and a media report concerning voter deletions in Jharkhand’s Godda district.
According to the report cited by Sibal, BJP agents were allegedly seeking the removal of voters’ names, with a large number of those targeted reportedly belonging to the minority community. Booth Level Officers, who work under the JMM-Congress government in Jharkhand, were said to have raised concerns over the issue.
Reacting to the report, Sibal wrote on X, “Politics of exclusion. BJP agents: Target Muslims, seek bulk deletions. Supreme Court needs to stop this!”
He further alleged, “SIR is an exercise: To manipulate the voters list. Help BJP win elections!”
Sibal’s allegations come a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party president Rahul Gandhi also stepped up their criticism of the poll panel. The two Congress leaders used terms including “BJP Kursi Bachao Aayog” and “Vote Chori Aayog” while accusing the Election Commission of enabling the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls.
The opposition’s criticism has also focused on Maharashtra. Rahul Gandhi has claimed that more than 2.06 crore electors were left out of the draft electoral rolls following the SIR exercise in the state.
Gandhi has alleged that the BJP and what he called the “Vote Chori Aayog” were changing their methods to ensure the party’s electoral success.
The allegations by Sibal and other opposition leaders come as the SIR process continues to draw political and legal scrutiny. The Election Commission’s electoral-roll revision has become a major point of confrontation between the opposition parties and the poll panel.
