Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP of 'Vote Chori' After 2.06 Crore Voters Dropped in Maharashtra SIR
New Delhi: With over 2.06 crore electors excluded from Maharashtra's draft electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the BJP and the "Vote Chori Aayog" keep altering their strategies, and will continue to do so, as their sole aim remains ensuring the BJP's victory at any cost.
Gandhi said that for a government founded on "vote chori" (vote theft), the people don't matter, which is why the BJP neither heeds public sentiment nor follows their mandate.
"The BJP and the 'Vote Chori Aayog' keep changing their tactics, and they will continue to do so — the goal remains just one: BJP's victory at any cost, and the end of India's democracy," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a Hindi post on X.
More than 2.06 crore electors, making up 21.14 per cent of Maharashtra's earlier voter base, have been left out of the draft electoral roll after the SIR exercise, the Chief Electoral Officer said on Monday.
The draft roll now stands at over 7.71 crore voters (78.86 per cent of the previous electorate), including 3.95 crore men, 3.75 crore women, and 3,087 third-gender voters, according to state election authorities.
As many as 2,06,88,487 people were left out because their enumeration forms could not be collected — either because they were untraceable, deceased, or had changed residences, officials said.
Responding to the development, Gandhi said, "Maharashtra 2024 — Suddenly, 39 lakh new voters were added between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. I said it then, and I say it today: This was vote theft."
"Bengal 2026 — Of the names struck off in the SIR, 91% had to be reinstated after appeals. That means 9 out of every 10 names were wrongly deleted, and added back only after the election. I said it then, and I say it today: This was vote theft. And now in Maharashtra, 2.07 crore voters have been removed from the draft list — that's every fifth voter," Gandhi said.
"Lok Sabha 2024: 9.29 crore; Vidhan Sabha 2024: 9.7 crore; SIR 2026: 7.78 crore. Which list was correct? For a government built on vote theft, the people are not important — that's why this BJP neither listens to the people nor obeys their command," the former Congress chief added.
Before the SIR, Maharashtra had 9.78 crore voters, of whom 78.86 per cent were retained in the draft roll.
Pune recorded the highest number of uncollectable enumeration forms at 28.6 lakh, followed by Thane (28.5 lakh), Mumbai Suburban (26.5 lakh), Nagpur (14.43 lakh), Nashik (10.27 lakh) and Mumbai City (9.5 lakh), officials said.
The uncollectable forms pertain to voters who were absent or untraceable at their registered addresses, had relocated, were deceased, had registered elsewhere, or had duplicate entries. The category also covers voters who declined to fill out and submit the enumeration form.
Eligible voters whose names are missing from the draft roll can file claims and objections between August 31 and September 30.
They can seek inclusion by submitting Form 6 with the required declaration; objections to an entry can be raised via Form 7; and corrections to details such as name, address, age or gender can be sought through Form 8, officials stated.
Electoral registration officers and their assistants will process claims, objections and notices between August 31 and October 29. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on November 4, as per the Election Commission's timetable.
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