Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, SEP 28 (NPN): State BJP president Benjamin Yepthomi on Monday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to produce concrete evidence to substantiate allegations of “vote chori”, EVM manipulation and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Dimapur, Yepthomi said serious allegations against the country’s electoral system could not become evidence merely through repetition.
Referring to the Election Commission of India’s September 26 statement, he said the Commission had clarified that the SIR order and subsequent schedules were approved unanimously by the full Commission, while the Supreme Court had upheld the SIR order on May 27.
He also cited the ECI’s clarification that a communication to the Cabinet Secretary concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation and was not related to any policy matter concerning SIR or the Commission’s IT division.
On SIR, Yepthomi said the exercise was intended to ensure that electoral rolls contained genuine and eligible voters. He pointed to mechanisms provided by the ECI for voters to check their names, register and update details, besides assistance through Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
He also referred to statements attributed to Congress leaders in Kerala who, he claimed, had acknowledged that the revision process helped remove proxy or ineligible voters. “If Congress leaders themselves in Kerala are in favour of SIR, why is Rahul Gandhi against SIR?” he asked.
Yepthomi challenged the Congress to identify specific cases if it had evidence of wrongful deletion of genuine voters.
“Tell the country which voter, which polling station, which constituency was deleted, what was changed, and what evidence they possess,” he said.
On EVMs, Yepthomi questioned what he described as the Congress’ changing position depending on electoral outcomes. He asked whether EVMs were “fine” when the Congress won elections in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala, alleging that the issue arose only when the BJP won elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Haryana.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s April 2024 judgment concerning EVMs and VVPATs, he said safeguards relating to sealing, strongroom security and participation of candidates or their representatives had been examined by the court.
“If there is concrete evidence of manipulation, Mr. Rahul Gandhi should produce it, file it, prove it, and let the law decide,” he said.
Yepthomi said Gandhi had every democratic right to aspire to become Prime Minister and oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, but political opposition should not undermine public confidence in democratic institutions.
Asked about allegations that around 13 crore genuine voters had been deleted during the revision exercise, Yepthomi rejected the figure and claimed the deletions represented around 1.06% of India’s population, amounting to roughly one crore-plus voters.
He further cited figures for deletions of duplicate or ineligible entries in several states, including over 25.47 lakh in Uttar Pradesh, 17.63 lakh in Maharashtra, 7.37 lakh in Andhra Pradesh, 7.10 lakh in Karnataka and 6.70 lakh in Telangana.
He said the principle should be “one person, one vote” and urged political parties to support efforts to clean electoral rolls.
Asked whether the State BJP was prepared to undertake an independent booth-level audit of disputed deletions, proxy voters and migrated voters before publication of the final electoral roll, Yepthomi said committees had already been constituted at the state and district levels to monitor, verify and assist in rectifying anomalies.
Meanwhile, BJP state general secretary Sunep C. Jamir defended the functioning of the ECI following an investigative report alleging that two Election Commissioners had raised objections to decisions taken by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Sunep said the ECI was a three-member constitutional body in which all members were equal, with the CEC being “first among equals”, and that decisions were taken through consensus or majority.
On Form 6, Sunep said additional information sought from new voters regarding whether their parents or grandparents appeared in previous SIR records was intended to help verify electoral eligibility. He acknowledged that statutory changes to the form would require the prescribed legal process, including parliamentary scrutiny, but said the information sought was an administrative screening measure.
Sunep also said the last nationwide SIR was conducted in 2001-02 and that the exercise had become necessary after years of population movement and changes in voter records.
On allegations of central government influence over the ECI, Jamir said the Commission was a constitutional body and maintained that the BJP was responding because allegations against the ECI indirectly accused the ruling party of manipulating the electoral process.
BJP Nagaland calls for awareness, participation in SIR
Correspondent Adds: The BJP Nagaland on Monday called for greater awareness, participation and transparency in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the exercise was being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) under the constitutional and statutory framework.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP Nagaland headquarters here, party spokesperson Adv. Chitho Nyusou said the fundamental objective of the SIR, as stated by the ECI, was to ensure that no eligible citizen was left out of the electoral roll and no ineligible person was included.
He said the electoral roll was the foundation for citizens to exercise their right to vote and that maintaining an accurate, updated and transparent roll was in the interest of every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation.
Nyusou said the SIR in Nagaland was underway, with October 20, 2026 fixed as the last date of the revision process and the final electoral roll scheduled for publication on November 22. He said 4,94,273 notices had so far been generated for issuance by the Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
He appealed to political parties, civil society organisations and the media to promote awareness, participation and transparency during the exercise.
BJP Nagaland chief spokesperson N. Kakuto Chishi said the press conference was convened to address concerns surrounding the electoral revision process and clarify the role of the ECI.
Chishi said the SIR was not a political exercise initiated by the Central government or the BJP, but was being undertaken by the ECI under the Constitution and relevant electoral laws. Referring to Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, he said the exercise was intended to verify electoral rolls and identify entries requiring correction, including those relating to deceased persons, shifted voters and duplicate or multiple registrations.
He said intensive revision of electoral rolls had been undertaken on several occasions since 1952 and referred to the present exercise as the 24th such revision. He also referred to recent legal proceedings concerning the SIR and said the exercise had been considered by the Supreme Court.
On concerns regarding differences within the ECI, Chishi said the Commission had publicly maintained that decisions relating to the exercise were unanimous and urged that information concerning its functioning be based on official statements and verified evidence.
Explaining Form 6, used for inclusion of names in the electoral roll, Chishi said the ECI had prescribed different documentary requirements based on when an elector’s name was entered in previous electoral rolls.
He said citizens with concerns regarding electoral rolls could raise them through the prescribed claims and objections process and, where applicable, through appeals and judicial review.
Chishi urged citizens, particularly young people and first-time voters, to participate in the exercise and cooperate with the authorities. He also appealed to media organisations to disseminate verified information to enable citizens to understand the process and participate effectively.
He said the BJP respected the constitutional role and independence of institutions, including the ECI, judiciary and UPSC, and that the press conference was intended to highlight the institutional role of the ECI rather than take a position for or against the SIR. BJP spokesperson Bendangyanger and State spokesperson Langyeliba Yingpithonger were also present.