Congress targets Modi over Gen Z voter enrolment, invokes Rajiv Gandhi's voting-age reform
The Congress on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by recalling how Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 reduced the minimum age for voting from 21 years to 18 years, and said one PM gave Gen Z the vote, the other is determined to "snatch it away through underhand means".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that PM Modi fears the youth having dashed their hopes and aspirations.
"This is a Tale of Two PMs. One PM got Parliament in its regular Winter Session in Dec 1988 to amend Article 326 of the Constitution to reduce the minimum age for voting from 21 years to 18 years. This was a PM who empowered the youth," Ramesh said in an obvious reference to Rajiv Gandhi.
"There is another PM who has ensured that the Special Summary Revisions of electoral rolls has been stopped since 2024 to ensure that Gen Z voters are not enrolled. This is a PM who fears the youth having dashed their hopes and aspirations," he said, taking a jibe at Modi.
"One PM gave Gen Z the vote, the other is determined to snatch it away through underhand means," Ramesh said.
The Congress on Thursday had alleged that Gen Z is being targeted for exclusion and pressed for its demand that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar must resign immediately.
The opposition party had also said Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will be held accountable for their "diabolical designs".
Ramesh had alleged, "It is clear that a mortified PM is hellbent on ensuring Gen Z voters do not have their names on the electoral roll. Seeing that Gen Z has hit the streets and is satirising him mercilessly but justifiably, he has deployed the CEC Gyanesh Kumar to keep them off the rolls."
The Special Summary Revision (SSR) through which the electoral rolls are revised every year has been kept frozen, he had said.
"This is the pathway for addition of new voters especially for Gen Zs who have just turned 18 to be added. Despite the other two ECs strongly urging that SSR be resumed, no revision has happened for two years now since youth disenchantment with Mr. Modi became evident," Ramesh had said.
Ramesh's remarks come after an Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge, even as the national rollout of the SIR was under the supervision of the full commission.
Their objections covered the manner in which the statutory voter registration Form 6 was amended, the handling of additions and deletions from voter lists, and centralised control over the electoral roll database, according to the report.
Under fire over the red flags raised by two of its commissioners over the SIR process, the EC has asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
In a statement, the poll panel also said that not only the three commissioners, but every officer of the EC is fully authorised to give his suggestions to the commission for improving the electoral system.
