‘We are going to come for you': Rahul warns EC officials on alleged lapses
Speaking on the possibility of boycotting Bihar Assembly elections over alleged lapses in Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament, 'Today they have made a statement, and this is complete nonsense.'
Claiming to have caught 100 per cent cheating by the ECI in one seat in Karnataka while adding new voters aged 45, 50, and 60, Gandhi said, 'I want to give a message to the Election Commission that if you think you are going to get away with this or if your officials think that they are going to get away with this, then you are mistaken. We are going to come for you.'
Gandhi said, now we have 100 per cent proof of EC allowing cheating at a seat in Karnataka by way of voter deletion and addition.
Earlier, BJP leader Amit Malviya lashed out at INDIA bloc leaders for raising doubts over the SIR of electoral roll in Bihar, claiming its success and public response is a big blow to Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav.
He said that INDIA bloc leaders' comments amount to conceding defeat before Assembly elections in Bihar.
'Tejashwi Yadav's idea of boycotting the elections proves that he has accepted that the voters of Bihar have completely rejected his campaign against SIR (Special Intensive Revision),' said Malviya, who is the BJP's IT cell chief.
The BJP leader said on X, 'Earlier, Tejashwi boycotted the voter revision, thinking that the people of Bihar would stand with him. But the exact opposite happened -- the people are enthusiastically participating in this SIR festival of democracy.'
More than 98 per cent of the voter revision work has already been completed. This is a big blow to Tejashwi and Rahul Gandhi, he said.
All their hard work has gone to waste. Not a single voter from Bihar joined them in their campaign against SIR. This is a clear indication that Tejashwi and Rahul are hyping a baseless issue, Malviya said.
There is a saying, 'As soon as the head is shaved, hail falls.' There are still two-three months left for the elections, but Tejashwi, sensing his slipping ground, has already started running away in desperation, said Malviya.
"These failed sons of Lalu, fearing the electoral test, are now seen looking for a way to boycott," Malviya added.
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What should have been a routine voter list update by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has become a nationwide controversy, triggering political protests, a challenge in the Supreme Court, and growing concerns about mass voter disenfranchisement. The controversy stems from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, where preliminary data suggests that up to 6.5 million voters—about nine per cent of the state's 78.9 million-strong electorate—could be excluded from the draft rolls. The reasons cited include death, duplication, permanent migration, and failure to submit necessary forms. The first phase of the SIR concluded on July 27, while the draft electoral roll is to be published on August 1, followed by a month-long window for filing claims and objections till September 1. The final roll is scheduled for release on September 30, ahead of Bihar's assembly elections later this year. As per the latest bulletin, the likely exclusions comprise 2.2 million deceased voters, seven lakh people registered in several locations, and 3.5 million individuals, who have migrated for good or could not be located during the door-to-door verification. Around 1.20 lakh forms remained incomplete. If all these are excluded, it would mark the largest voter list purge in a single state in recent memory. The Election Commission (ECI) has defended the exercise in the Supreme Court stating that it was essential for maintaining fairness and integrity of elections. Officials cited technical reasons for the delay in releasing final data, with a complete update expected by Monday. The SIR was carried out by an extensive network: over 98,000 booth level officers, nearly 150,000 agents from political parties, and 400,000 volunteers participated in the month-long verification drive. However, serious concerns have been raised over the documentation requirements. Voters must provide one of 11 accepted documents to prove eligibility. Ironically, they don't include Aadhaar, ration cards, or even voter IDs — all widely used government-issued documents. A booth-level officer from Araria district admitted to the media that they were uploading 'whatever documents they could get,' but it was unclear whether these would be accepted. Different age groups face varying documentation burdens: those born before 1987 can submit individual ID proof; those born between 1987 and 2004 must provide personal ID and proof from a parent, while those born after 2004 need to furnish documents of both parents apart from their own. In its July 21 affidavit to the apex court, the ECI maintained that Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter IDs do not qualify as citizenship proof, despite the court earlier advising the Commission to consider accepting these documents. This has set the stage for a legal showdown when the court hears the matter on July 28. On July 20, theECI shared lists of voters marked as deceased, migrated, or untraceable with 12 political parties for verification, but several discrepancies reportedly remain. The final electoral roll is expected to become a key battleground in the run-up to Bihar's elections. Critics argue that the tight timeline may not allow enough time to resolve disputes, potentially resulting in legitimate voters being disenfranchised. The Bihar revision is just the first phase of a larger nationwide effort, with similar exercises planned elsewhere. At the heart of the debate lies the perception of a deeply polarised political landscape and a growing mistrust in the ECI's impartiality—an ominous sign for Indian democracy.
