Dehradun: The most recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand has ignited a fresh political controversy. The state unit of the Congress alleges that a huge number of names were removed from the voter list and is demanding that the Election Commission disclose the precise statistics.
Congress Raises Alarm Over Massive Voter Deletions
Addressing reporters at the party’s Uttarakhand Bhawan, former legislator and head of the Congress SIR Committee, Manoj Rawat, asserted that approximately 13.85 lakh voters disappeared from the rolls during the pre‑SIR and SIR stages. Rawat questioned why the Election Commission has yet to publish detailed deletion data and urged that the figures for each phase be made publicly available to ensure transparency.
Concerns About the Use of Form‑7
Rawat also flagged worries over the deployment of Form‑7 during the revision. He noted that automatically generated forms, complaints allegedly filed by BJP workers, and the apparent lack of follow‑up on those complaints have cast doubts on the openness of the process.
Allegations of Possible Coordination
The Congress leader suggested that eligible voters might have been unintentionally excluded and hinted at a potential coordination between the Election Commission and the BJP. He stressed that these remain party allegations and have not been proven in any court of law.
BLOs Help Safeguard Voter Names
Rawat praised the party’s Booth‑Level Officers (BLOs) for their vigilance. According to him, Congress’s grassroots teams stayed active throughout the revision, flagging instances where legitimate voters were at risk of being dropped.
Worries About the Upcoming Inclusion Phase
The party also warned about the forthcoming inclusion round via Form‑6. Rawat insisted that both the addition and removal of names must follow a clear, verifiable, and transparent procedure.
Demand for Complete Disclosure
Congress has formally requested that the Election Commission publish all SIR‑related data, including the exact count of deletions at each stage. The party argues that such disclosure will eliminate doubts and reinforce confidence in the integrity of the electoral roll.
“Electoral rolls are the foundation of every citizen’s right to vote,” Rawat said. “Each step of their preparation must be open to scrutiny.”
Present at the briefing were senior Congress leaders such as state General Secretary Rajendra Bhandari, Minority Department President Haji Suleman Ansari, Chief Spokesperson Garima Mehra Dausoni, SIR Committee member Amendra Bisht, and advocate Sandeep Chamoli.
