Congress Launches Nationwide Opposition to Special Intensive Revision of Voter Rolls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified his criticism of the Election Commission of India during a high-level strategy session on Tuesday, directing party units across 12 states and Union Territories to confront the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls through coordinated political, organisational, and legal measures. Gandhi accused the Commission of shifting responsibility onto political parties instead of ensuring clean voter lists.

Sources present at the meeting revealed that the Leader of Opposition described the SIR process as suspiciously rushed and designed to systematically remove legitimate voters while potentially facilitating bogus entries. He emphasised that maintaining the integrity of electoral rolls is the constitutional obligation of the Election Commission, not a burden to be transferred to contesting parties.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who chaired the review with state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders, and senior secretaries, charged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is attempting to weaponise the revision exercise for large-scale “vote chori”. He warned that any administrative silence or inaction by the Election Commission would amount to complicity with the ruling dispensation’s alleged manipulation.

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The party announced plans for a massive public rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan to mobilise nationwide opposition to the SIR process, alongside directions for booth-level officers, district presidents, and grassroots workers to maintain constant vigilance. Every suspected deletion of genuine voters or insertion of fictitious names will be documented and challenged through formal objections and legal recourse.

The renewed offensive follows the Congress’s disappointing performance in the recent Bihar assembly elections and reflects growing concerns over institutional neutrality. Senior leaders asserted that the party will not permit democratic safeguards to be undermined through partisan misuse of constitutional bodies, vowing sustained resistance until the Election Commission withdraws or substantially reforms the contested revision exercise.

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