Says “Electoral roll revision is constitutional exercise”
Accuses Rahul Gandhi of undermining public confidence in institutions
Jammu|Nov, 03: BJP national vice-president Ram Madhav on Tuesday accused the Congress and its general secretary Rahul Gandhi of undermining public confidence in India’s electoral institutions through what he termed misleading allegations about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Madhav defended the revision exercise as a constitutional process undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure accuracy and transparency in electoral rolls. He alleged that the Congress was attempting to create political instability after failing to challenge the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi electorally.
Madhav accused the opposition party of trying to bring about a change of government outside the democratic process, alleging that its approach resembled developments witnessed in Bangladesh and Nepal.
“Congress has wrong intentions as they can’t face us electorally,” he said, adding that the people would not accept what he described as attempts to create anarchy in the country.
Defending the SIR exercise, Madhav said the process had been completed in several states but was yet to be undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir and some other states.
He rejected allegations of large-scale deletion of genuine voters, questioning the Congress’s claim that 13 crore names had been removed from electoral rolls. He asked the party to produce evidence of even one genuine voter whose name had been wrongly deleted.
Madhav said the revision was necessary to remove the names of deceased persons, voters who had shifted residences and those registered at multiple locations.
He pointed out that nearly 90 lakh to one crore people die in India annually and argued that electoral rolls required periodic updating to reflect demographic changes.
Explaining the verification process, he said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited households to establish the existence and residential details of voters. Names were liable to be removed where individuals had shifted or could not be traced, he said. He also referred to the need to identify illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas allegedly residing in Jammu.
The BJP leader said the Election Commission had submitted its response before the Supreme Court, explaining the procedure and facts relating to the revision exercise.
Taking aim at the Congress’s electoral history, Madhav referred to the Allahabad High Court judgment that set aside former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s 1971 election from Rae Bareli over electoral malpractices. He said the subsequent imposition of Emergency had dealt a severe blow to Indian democracy.
He also referred to the 1987 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the electoral process had been manipulated by the then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“After the manipulation in the electoral process, how the terror began here, you all know the story,” he said.
Madhav further accused the Congress of repeatedly questioning electoral institutions after losing elections, citing its allegations concerning electronic voting machines (EVMs) and its ‘vote chori’ campaign.
Claiming that the Congress had lost 56 Assembly elections and three Lok Sabha elections between 2014 and 2024, he said the party’s criticism of electoral processes reflected its inability to accept electoral outcomes.
Countering the opposition’s demand for a return to ballot papers, Madhav cited municipal and Legislative Council elections, where ballot papers were used. He said the Congress had won only two of 42 municipal wards in the elections he referred to, while the BJP secured 16 of 28 seats in MLC polls against the Congress’s one.
Defending Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Madhav questioned the Congress’s criticism of the Election Commission, pointing out that the party had won elections in states such as Kerala and Karnataka under the same electoral system.
He said India’s democratic institutions had enjoyed international respect and accused the Congress of damaging the country’s reputation by repeatedly questioning their credibility.
The BJP leader maintained that electoral roll revision was essential to safeguarding the integrity of elections and urged political parties to raise objections through constitutional and institutional mechanisms rather than casting doubts on the democratic process.
