New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the final electoral roll for Bihar following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused the Congress of double standards, pointing out that the party had not filed a single objection or complaint during the voter list revision. “As the Election Commission concludes the SIR exercise in Bihar and publishes the final voter roll, let it be noted the Congress party did not file a single complaint or objection in the prescribed format for either inclusion or deletion,” Malviya said in a post on X.
He further alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar was aimed at misleading people. “This so-called ‘Vote Chori’ narrative is nothing but a sham, a pretext to mask impending electoral defeats and undermine faith in India’s democratic process,” he said, adding that Gandhi’s stance was a “direct threat to national security” by shielding illegal migrants.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier accused the ECI of colluding with the ruling BJP to manipulate voter rolls. The poll panel, however, dismissed the charges.
Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram criticised the SIR process, calling it “careless” and lacking transparency. “It was neither demanded by the public nor by political parties, yet it was conducted. Its fairness remains questionable. Our workers will examine how many names were deleted or added across the state. This issue will not end here,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari also raised concerns over deletions in the voter roll. “Who are these 47 lakh voters who have been deleted? The ECI must clarify how many shifted, how many are deceased, and how many were ghost entries. Such transparency is essential to restore credibility,” he said on X.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar thanked electors, political parties, and stakeholders for their cooperation as the revised voter list was published. The final roll shows 7.42 crore electors in Bihar, down from 7.89 crore voters recorded on June 24.
The publication of the final list comes just weeks before Bihar heads into a high-stakes assembly election, with voter roll accuracy now at the centre of a heated political battle.
