The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday sharply criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his latest attack on the Election Commission and the government in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused Gandhi of relying on what he described as “lies and misinformation” and called him a “pre-eminent fraudster” and an “inauthentic politician”. Chandrasekhar made the remarks while addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, responding to Gandhi’s continuing criticism of the poll panel and the process of voter-list revision. The BJP leader also accused Gandhi of placing his family’s political interests above his stated positions on secularism and the Constitution.

Chandrasekhar also took issue with Gandhi’s recent criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including his use of the term “deshdrohi”. The BJP leader described the remark as evidence of what he called Gandhi’s “fake and inauthentic politics” and alleged that the Congress leader was attempting to mislead voters. These comments came amid an intensifying political dispute over the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission. The BJP and Congress have traded allegations over the electoral-roll revision process, with the opposition questioning the poll panel’s decisions and the BJP defending the exercise and its stated objective of maintaining electoral rolls. Chandrasekhar’s remarks were part of the BJP’s response to the latest questions raised by Gandhi over the voter-registration process.

Gandhi on Thursday questioned the Election Commission over changes associated with online Form 6, which is used by citizens seeking inclusion in the electoral rolls as new voters. In a post on X, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha asked who within the Election Commission had ordered Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to make what he described as an “illegal” change and who at the company had approved it. He also asked whether TCS had been pressured into implementing the change. Gandhi’s questions followed reports of differences within the Election Commission over the addition of an SIR-linked declaration to the online voter-registration process.

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The controversy centres on an additional declaration linked to the SIR process, under which applicants were asked to provide information concerning whether they, their parents or grandparents appeared in an earlier electoral roll. The Election Commission had previously maintained that the statutory Form 6 itself had not been altered and that the additional requirement was introduced separately as an annexure alongside the approved form. The poll panel had referred to its earlier SIR instructions while explaining the distinction between Form 6 and the additional declaration. The Election Commission has since removed the SIR-linked addition from the online Form 6 process in states where the revision exercise has been completed.

The issue has also exposed differences within the Election Commission over aspects of the voter-roll revision process. Reports said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections to several decisions connected with SIR over the preceding months. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that differences of opinion and observations are part of institutional deliberations and that its decisions are taken under the applicable legal framework. The poll panel has also continued to maintain that electoral-roll revision follows statutory procedures. The dispute over the Form 6-related requirement has nevertheless become a major point of contention between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, with both sides presenting different interpretations of the controversy.

The Congress has continued to demand greater transparency over the electoral-roll revision process. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Form 6 change was orchestrated by what he called the “PM-HM duo”, referring to the prime minister and home minister. The opposition INDIA bloc has also announced joint protests over alleged irregularities in the electoral process, including marches and a planned demonstration before the Election Commission. The political confrontation is expected to continue as parties debate the SIR exercise, the handling of voter-registration data and the Election Commission’s decisions. For now, the competing allegations remain part of an ongoing political and institutional dispute, while the poll panel’s position is that the electoral process is governed by statutory procedures.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Warns Of Action Over Removal Of Voters From Electoral Rolls