NEW DELHI: Congress leader on Tuesday Rahul Gandhi reportedly raised concerns about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process during a meeting with AICC office-bearers from 12 states and Union Territories where electoral roll revision is ongoing. He emphasised that the party needs to counter this ‘politically, organisationally and legally, as per sources, quoted by PTI.Rahul noted that while the Election Commission should ensure accurate electoral rolls, it appeared to be shifting responsibility to political parties, according to the PTI sources. He questioned the implementation of the procedure, alleging it could lead to the removal of legitimate voters.The review meeting included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Gandhi, and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, along with state unit chiefs, CLP leaders and secretaries from the regions undergoing Special Intensive Revision.Congress has intensified its ‘vote chori’ stance, criticising the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR process as “deeply disappointing” and called for the commission to prove its independence from BJP influence.Kharge, who led the meeting, accused the BJP of using the process as a tool for “vote chori”. He said on X, “We held a comprehensive strategy review with AICC general secretaries, AICC in-charges, PCCs, CLPs and AICC secretaries from the states/UTs where the SIR process is underway. The Congress Party is unequivocally committed to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral rolls.”Following their significant defeat in Bihar, where the NDA secured 202 seats compared to Mahagathbandhan’s 35, the Congress questioned the Election Commission’s conduct during the electoral process. During his Bihar campaign also, Gandhi consistently raised the allegations of “vote chori”.As the opposition stays firm on opposing SIR, the Election Commission reported that over 50.25 crore enumeration forms have been distributed across the 12 states and UTs, reaching 98.54 per cent of the 50.97 crore eligible voters.The first phase of the process includes regions such as- Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.Four of these regions – Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal – will hold elections in 2026. Assam, also due for elections in 2026, received approval for a ‘special revision’ of electoral rolls on Monday.The second phase of SIR began on November 4 and continues until December 4.Last week, Rahul described the Bihar results as “surprising” and questioned the election’s fairness. He indicated that the Congress and INDIA bloc would analyse the results thoroughly.The party alleged that the results demonstrated “vote chori on a gigantic scale — masterminded by the prime minister, the home minister, the EC”.
