Rahul alleges impurities in past polls but opposes SIR to clean up rolls: EC officials hit back

New Delhi | Rahul Gandhi flags impurities in past polls but opposes special intensive revision aimed at cleaning up electoral rolls, Election Commission officials said Wednesday hitting back at the Congress leader who alleged voter manipulation in Haryana assembly polls held last year.

They said it is now clear that Gandhi is supporting the special intensive revision exercise despite opposing it in the beginning.

They asserted that Gandhi's vote manipulation charge is "unfounded" as neither any appeals were filed against the electoral rolls in Haryana nor was any multiple voting flagged when it happened.

The poll body officials were reacting to Gandhi's claim that 25 lakh entries were "fake" and that the Haryana assembly polls were "stolen."

They also questioned why Congress's booth agents did not flag voters who had allegedly cast multiple votes in the election in October 2024.

"Why were no claims and objections raised by INC's booth-level agents during revision to avoid multiple names," an official asked, countering Gandhi's allegation.

Booth-level agents or BLAs are appointed by political parties to flag irregularities, if any, in electoral rolls.

The EC officials underlined that "zero appeals" were filed against electoral rolls and only 22 election petitions are currently pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

As many as 23 election petitions were filed, and one was later withdrawn.

The officials said Gandhi has raised the issue of the Rai and Hodal assembly seats in Haryana.

"Since election petitions have been filed in both the constituencies among the 23 filed for Haryana assembly elections, Mr Gandhi may be advised to use all his evidence there," an official suggested.

An election petition can be filed within 45 days of the announcement of the results in the high court of that state.

"What were the polling agents of INC doing in the polling stations? They are supposed to object if the elector has already voted or if the polling agents doubt the identity of the elector," the official said.

Referring to EC's efforts to clean up the voter lists across states, officials wondered whether Gandhi supports the special intensive revision (SIR), which removes duplicate, dead, and shifted voters along with verification of citizenship.

"Or is he opposing SIR," an official asked.

"Why were no claims and objections raised by INC's BLAs during revision to avoid multiple names in Bihar? Why were no claims and objections raised by INC's BLAs during revision to avoid multiple names in Haryana," the official further asked.

The BJP won 48 seats in the 2024 Haryana polls, while the Congress, which was predicted to win by many exit polls, bagged 37 seats. The INLD won two seats while independent candidates bagged three in the 90-member Assembly.

On the issue of zero house numbers, the EC officials said 'House Number Zero' is also for houses where the panchayat and municipalities have not given house numbers.

House Number 'zero' has been given by booth-level officers, where no house number is allotted by municipalities or panchayats.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee personally receives enumeration form amidst SIR row in state

Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday personally received her enumeration form from a booth-level officer (BLO) at her Kalighat residence, a day after leading a protest march questioning the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a source said.

The BLO in charge of booth No. 77 under Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, Amit Kumar Roy, arrived at Banerjee’s residence on Harish Chatterjee Street around 10:30 am, the source said.

Roy, who is attached to Mitra Institution, was stopped by on-duty police officers as he entered the lane, the source said.

Asked about his purpose, he identified himself and explained that he was delivering the "enumeration form" to a voter at 30B, Harish Chatterjee Street, Banerjee's residential address.

" A policemen initially informed him that he would not be allowed inside due to security restrictions and asked him to hand over the form to them instead," the official told PTI.

Roy refused to hand over the forms and cited EC rules stipulating that the papers can only be handed directly to the voter listed in the rolls.

Following a brief exchange, senior police officials consulted security personnel inside the residence and permitted Roy to enter, but only after leaving his bag and mobile phone with the officers on duty outside, he said.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came out of her room to meet the BLO and received the form directly from him. Roy informed her that once the form was filled out, her office could notify him to collect it," the official said, adding that Banerjee assured that her office would make the necessary call once the form was ready.

Contacted, a senior official at the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) confirmed that the enumeration form had been officially delivered to the Chief Minister's residence on Wednesday.