Kapil Sibal alleges SIR aims to manipulate voter rolls, urges SC to stop bulk deletions
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday alleged that the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was aimed at manipulating voter lists and helping the BJP win elections, and urged the Supreme Court to stop what he called bulk deletions.
Sibal’s remarks came in response to a media report claiming that BJP agents in Jharkhand’s Godda district were seeking deletion of voters, mostly from the minority community. Booth Level Officers, who are employees of the JMM-Congress state government, have reportedly raised concerns over the issue.
In a post on X, Sibal said the alleged targeting of voters amounted to the “politics of exclusion” and called on the Supreme Court to intervene.
He alleged that the SIR exercise was being used to manipulate electoral rolls and help the BJP in elections.
Sibal, an Independent Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister, has been critical of the Election Commission’s ongoing revision exercise in several states.
His remarks came a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi stepped up their attacks on the poll panel, referring to it as the “BJP Kursi Bachao Aayog” and “Vote Chori Aayog”.
Kharge and Gandhi alleged that the ruling BJP was attempting to undermine democracy through what they described as “vote chori”, and said voters would punish those responsible.
Gandhi has also raised concerns over the exclusion of more than 2.06 crore electors from Maharashtra’s draft electoral rolls following the SIR exercise.
He alleged that the BJP and what he called the “Vote Chori Aayog” were changing their tactics to ensure the ruling party’s victory.
Gandhi further alleged that a government built on “vote chori” does not consider people important and therefore does not listen to them.
The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is intended to ensure that electoral rolls are accurate and that eligible voters are not left out.