Akhilesh Yadav Alleges BJP’s Vote Manipulation Plot in Bihar’s SIR

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of orchestrating a large-scale vote manipulation scheme through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the state’s assembly elections later this year. Speaking to reporters at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport, Yadav claimed the BJP is resorting to “conspiracy and plotting” to undermine democracy as public sentiment turns against them.

“The BJP’s biggest job is to conspire when they lack answers to basic questions. Realizing Bihar’s people are against them, they’ve engineered the SIR to manipulate votes on a massive scale,” Yadav said, questioning the timing of the revision. “If the SIR was genuinely needed, why wasn’t it conducted a year ago?”

The SIR, launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 24, 2025, aims to update Bihar’s voter rolls, citing urbanization, migration, and concerns about “foreign illegal immigrants.” However, opposition parties, including SP, Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), have labeled it a “deliberate conspiracy” to disenfranchise marginalized voters. The process, requiring 79 million electors to submit enumeration forms by July 25, has sparked protests, with opposition MPs marching to the ECI on August 11, only to be detained by Delhi Police.

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Yadav referenced past electoral irregularities, noting that in 2019, SP reported the deletion of 18,000 voters in Uttar Pradesh, with no action taken despite evidence submitted via affidavit. “When the 2022 UP elections happened, those voters remained deleted. The ECI demands affidavits from Rahul Gandhi for his ‘vote theft’ claims, but ignored ours. Why no accountability for officials?” he asked, alleging the BJP seeks to “snatch the right to vote.”

Yadav was in Jharkhand to pay tribute to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) co-founder Shibu Soren, who died on August 4, at his ancestral village, Nemra, in Ramgarh district. Offering floral tributes alongside Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his mother, Roopi Soren, Yadav praised Shibu’s lifelong fight for tribal rights and “Jal, Jungle, Jamin” (water, forest, land). “Shibu Soren faced political ups and downs but never wavered. Hemant has inherited his ideology and struggle, and I hope he carries this legacy to make Jharkhand prosperous,” he said.

The SIR controversy has paralyzed Parliament’s Monsoon Session since July 21, with opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing the ECI of colluding with the BJP. Posts on X reflect public skepticism, with users calling SIR a “vote theft” scheme targeting genuine voters. As Bihar’s elections loom, the opposition’s united front signals a fierce battle to protect electoral integrity.

Also Read: EC Demands Rahul Gandhi Substantiate Vote Theft Claims or Apologize