New Delhi [India], September 1 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the alleged removal of two crore voters from Maharashtra's electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), asserting that votes are being stolen in the state in real time.
Taking a sharp jibe at the ruling party and the Election Commission of India (ECI), Khera declared that the alleged fabrications of the BJP and the poll body have now caught up with them and are hanging like an albatross around their neck.
Referring to the ECI's alleged admission of adding 40 lakh electors in the five months between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Khera alleged that despite Congress flagging concerns over the addition of extra voters, the ECI allegedly dismissed the party's concerns.
Continuing his attack, Khera asserted that two years later, the extensive deletions under the SIR exercise have laid bare the alleged fabrications of both the BJP and the poll panel before the entire nation.
"The BJP-ECI's lies are now hanging like an albatross around their neck. Nearly 2 crore voters have been excluded from Maharashtra's electoral roll under SIR. The @ECISVEEP itself had acknowledged that nearly 40 lakh electors were added in just five months between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. @RahulGandhi and the Congress flagged this abnormal increase at the time. But the BJP and ECI dismissed our concerns and expressed complete confidence in the voter list. Now two years later, given the large number of deletions in the SIR, the BJP-ECI duo has stripped its own lies naked before the country....The writing is on the wall: Vote chori is real, Rigged elections are real and Imposed governments are real," said Khera.
Khera's remarks came following the publication of the draft voter list under Maharashtra's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which reflected two crore fewer voters than the previous electoral roll.
According to data released by Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer, out of 9,78,54,049 electors, a total of 7,71,65,562 electors submitted their forms during the enumeration phase of the SIR as of August 17, 2026.
The poll body further detailed that among the total registered electors, 34.82 lakh voters (3.56 per cent) were identified as deceased, while 1.54 crore voters (15.78 per cent) were categorised as permanently shifted, absent, or listed under other categories. Additionally, 17.67 lakh electors (1.81 per cent) were found to be enrolled at multiple locations across the electoral roll.
The election authority noted that recognised political parties actively participated in the exercise, with a total of 3,35,910 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by them across the state.
Outlining the remaining schedule of the SIR following the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 31, with October 1, 2026, as the qualifying date, officials stated that the rationalisation and rearrangement of polling stations took place on August 24. The window for filing claims and objections will remain open from August 31 to September 30, while the disposal of claims and objections will take place from August 31 to October 29. The process will culminate with the final publication of the electoral roll on November 4. (ANI)
"Vote chori is real": Pawan Khera slams BJP over removal of 2 crore voters from Maharashtra electoral roll under SIR
