Lucknow: Congress’ Uttar Pradesh unit has alleged large scale irregularities in electoral rolls, claiming that voters’ names and Electors’ Photo Identity Card numbers have been manipulated in a systematic manner, citing data from Pilibhit Sadar.
At a press conference Wednesday, at the party’s state headquarters in Lucknow, UP Congress leaders cited data from the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency and alleged that thousands of entries were altered through software following the publication of the draft electoral roll.
Speaking to the media, Congress UP in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said the final draft electoral roll under the SIR process was published on 10 April, after which the revision process was expected to conclude. However, in Pilibhit Sadar constituency, between July and September, the names of 13,150 voters were allegedly changed while their EPIC and serial numbers remained the same.
He further claimed that the names of 804 genuine voters had been deleted, while 2,600 names were added even though, the individuals did not live in the constituency.
According to Gautam, a total of 16,554 votes were affected by the alleged irregularities in the Assembly constituency. He said the party would soon submit a detailed list of the disputed entries to the Election Commission.
Calling the alleged irregularities an attack on democracy and the integrity of the electoral process, Gautam urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and immediately stay the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.
Congress spokesperson and social media chairperson Supriya Shrinate questioned the technical aspects of the alleged changes, arguing that the discrepancies did not appear to be the result of ordinary human error but pointed to possible manipulation through software following a specific pattern.
While displaying a photograph of Uttar Pradesh minister and Pilibhit Sadar MLA Sanjay Gangwar, Shrinate pointed out that he had won the 2022 Assembly election by a margin of just 6,930 votes.
She alleged that more than 16,000 votes were affected by the discrepancies identified by the party in the constituency, more than twice Gangwar’s victory margin.
Shrinate said the scale of the alleged manipulation raised serious questions about the credibility of the electoral process and warranted a thorough investigation.
Shrinate also displayed a photograph of Seema Khanna, whom she identified as the head of the Election Commission’s technology and software department, and raised questions about the management of the software used for electoral roll revisions.
She alleged that reports had surfaced of voters names being deleted, added or altered through the software. According to Shrinate, district-level officials, including district magistrates (DMs), sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), additional district magistrates (ADMs) and electoral registration officers (EROs), had repeatedly said they did not have access to the system.
Shrinate claimed that officials had sent multiple emails requesting the addition of names after verification in Goa, but the requests were allegedly not acted upon. She further alleged that control of the software rested with Khanna.
Congress to conduct booth-level verification
While talking to ThePrint, UP Congress chief Aradhana Mishra said deleting voters names without following the prescribed legal procedure was illegal and unconstitutional. She said the party would not remain a silent spectator to what it described as the violation of voters’ rights.
Mishra added that the Congress would conduct booth level scrutiny of electoral rolls across all 75 districts of the state through its organisational network.
ThePrint has learnt that the UP Congress is preparing a list of constituencies where alleged irregularities took place during the SIR process. The party is expected to make further disclosures along similar lines in the coming days.
On the other hand, Shrinate outlined three key demands on behalf of the party.
First, the Supreme Court should take immediate cognisance of the alleged irregularities and stay the SIR process. Second, voters should verify their names and EPIC numbers and contact the Congress helpline if they find discrepancies. Third, the district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates concerned should publicly clarify who authorised the changes made after the publication of the draft electoral roll.
ThePrint reached out to the Uttar Pradesh Election Commission via text and call but has not yet got a response to the Congress’ allegations. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: SIR shows democracy’s survival relies not just on protecting ballots but database integrity