Varanasi (UP), Nov 2 (PTI) BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Monday defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and accused the opposition of spreading confusion regarding the exercise.
Dismissing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that 13 crore votes had been “stolen,” Patra said the SIR is an exercise aimed at refining the electoral rolls. He said the removal of names was only part of the process of “verifying and purifying” the voter list and does not constitute theft.
Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, the Puri MP explained that the process involves verifying entries of voters who are absent, have permanently relocated, are deceased, or have duplicate registrations.
This is not the first time such an exercise has been conducted; similar SIR exercises had been carried out in the past as well, he said.
Patra said there is a provision to add a name to the voters’ list by filling out a prescribed form in case of change in a voter’s address.
Booth-Level Officers conduct door-to-door verification to gather information. Political parties can also have their own Booth-Level Agents (BLA) examine the electoral rolls, he said, asking why the BLAs of opposition parties are not scrutinising these lists.
The BJP spokesperson asserted that individuals whose names are missing from the list can have them added by following the established procedure.
Citing the SIR in West Bengal, Patra pointed out that in several Assembly constituencies where a large number of names were reportedly removed, Trinamool Congress candidates emerged victorious.
Highlighting the addition of young voters to the rolls, he refuted the claim that the youth were being deprived of their voting rights.
Defending the role of the Election Commission, Patra said the revision process is being conducted in accordance with the Commission’s established processes.
Refuting the allegations of Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties, he argued that the opposition’s electoral defeats stem from their own political standing rather than from the revision of electoral rolls.
Patra further raised concerns regarding infiltration in West Bengal and the subsequent inclusion of such individuals in the electoral rolls. The right to vote should be reserved exclusively for Indian citizens, he asserted. PTI COR NAV RUK
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