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Akhilesh Yadav targets the BJP and Election Commission over alleged voter-list manipulation in Uttar Pradesh. (Img: X)
New Delhi: The battle over electoral transparency and alleged voter-list manipulation took centre stage at the INDIA bloc’s massive rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, as Samajwadi Party national president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission. Claiming that nearly 1.27 crore Hindu votes had been deleted in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav alleged that the ruling party was attempting to weaken democracy by manipulating electoral rolls and using the poll machinery for political advantage.
Addressing the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally, Yadav asserted that Opposition parties were united in their campaign against alleged vote theft and electoral irregularities. He accused the BJP of resorting to electoral manipulation because it could not secure victories through public support. The SP chief further alleged that the party was conspiring with the Election Commission to influence the electoral process and undermine constitutional institutions.
Yadav described the INDIA bloc’s campaign as a fight to protect democracy and the Constitution, claiming that the Opposition was receiving widespread public support across the country. He maintained that the BJP’s political dominance would be challenged through a united Opposition campaign.
Taking his allegations further, Yadav identified the Chief Election Commissioner as a key link in what he described as a conspiracy involving voter-list manipulation. He also alleged that a company was assisting in the process, although he did not name the company in the remarks provided.
The SP president accused the BJP of repeatedly engaging in political conspiracies and claimed that those who exposed alleged electoral irregularities or raised their voices against them were being targeted. He also invoked the idea of global leadership, questioning the conduct of those who projected India as a global role model while allegedly engaging in vote theft.
Yadav said the INDIA bloc would continue its campaign against electoral manipulation and asserted that those involved in the alleged irregularities would eventually face consequences.
One of the most significant claims in Yadav’s address concerned the alleged deletion of 1.27 crore Hindu votes from Uttar Pradesh’s electoral rolls. He referred to remarks attributed to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, who had reportedly acknowledged that 1.27 crore Hindu votes had been removed. Yadav alleged that the issue had triggered a blame game, with the state leadership shifting responsibility towards the Centre.
Using the figure to underline the scale of the alleged deletions, Yadav pointed out that Uttar Pradesh has 403 Assembly constituencies. According to his calculation, the claimed deletion figure translates into approximately 31,000 votes per constituency.
The SP chief questioned the implications of such a large reduction in voter numbers and accused the BJP of using electoral processes to secure political gains. His remarks added a new dimension to the controversy over voter-list revisions, particularly the debate surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and the verification of electoral rolls.
The 1.27-crore figure and the allegation concerning Hindu voters were cited by Yadav in his political address; they should not be treated as independently verified findings without official electoral data.
Yadav alleged that the BJP was committing a grave wrong by weakening democratic institutions and the constitutional framework. He claimed that young people who had travelled to Delhi to protest against the party’s alleged actions were subjected to police brutality and baton charges.
The SP president said the treatment meted out to protesting youth would remain etched in their memories. He accused the government of using pressure and alleged conspiracies against those questioning its conduct, while asserting that the BJP’s political position would eventually be challenged.
His remarks placed the concerns over electoral transparency alongside the Opposition’s wider allegations about democratic freedoms, the treatment of protesters and accountability of public institutions.
In another politically charged part of his speech, Yadav accused the BJP of wrongdoing involving donations and offerings associated with the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He alleged that contributions made by devotees and offerings received at the temple had been misappropriated, referring to what he described as donation theft, offering theft and the misuse of religious funds.
The SP chief used religious references to attack the BJP, warning that those responsible for the alleged wrongdoing would face consequences. These allegations were made as part of his political speech at the rally and were not accompanied by supporting evidence in the supplied statement.
Yadav also targeted the BJP over the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council election results, particularly the outcome in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. He claimed that the BJP had suffered a double defeat in the region and described its performance as a double-zero outcome.
Taking a swipe at leaders who portray the BJP as politically unshakable, Yadav argued that the party’s electoral position in Uttar Pradesh was weakening. He cited the Varanasi result to challenge the BJP’s claims of an entrenched political presence in the state.
The SP chief further alleged that the BJP had sought to influence the outcome through a strategy similar to the one he associated with the Chandigarh mayoral election. According to Yadav, the BJP was not satisfied with its initial defeat in Varanasi and a recounting was conducted, but the party still failed to secure the outcome he said it wanted. He claimed that the BJP had attempted to replicate the Chandigarh approach in Varanasi but could not succeed, ultimately receiving what he described as a double-zero result.
Yadav’s latest remarks also connect with his earlier criticism of the Chandigarh mayoral election and the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. He has repeatedly alleged that electoral irregularities and the removal of voters’ names affected the democratic process.
At the Ramlila Maidan rally, he presented the Varanasi MLC election as another example of what he described as the BJP’s attempts to influence electoral outcomes. He also referred to the party’s alleged role in voter-list manipulation and the wider controversy surrounding the SIR exercise in West Bengal.
The SP chief had earlier claimed that his party collected booth-level information about voter deletions and submitted complaints along with affidavits to the Election Commission, but alleged that no satisfactory action followed.
The Ramlila Maidan gathering brought together INDIA bloc leaders and supporters under the banner of ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’. The Opposition alliance has made electoral transparency, voter-list revisions and alleged vote theft central themes of its political campaign.
Yadav said the alliance was united in its effort to protect democracy and the Constitution. He sought to connect concerns over voter deletions in Uttar Pradesh with allegations surrounding electoral processes in other parts of the country, including West Bengal and Chandigarh.
His address covered the alleged deletion of 1.27 crore Hindu votes in Uttar Pradesh, the role of the Chief Election Commissioner, the alleged involvement of a company, police action against protesting youth, allegations concerning donations and offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and the BJP’s performance in the Varanasi MLC election.
The claims have intensified the political debate over electoral-roll integrity and the accountability of institutions responsible for conducting elections. The Election Commission’s response and official data on the alleged voter deletions remain crucial to assessing the claims made by the Samajwadi Party chief.
