Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav didn't hold back on Sunday, taking to X to sound the alarm over what he’s calling a "mega-scam" to rig the upcoming elections. Yadav alleged a massive conspiracy is currently playing out in Uttar Pradesh under the guise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, claiming that the system is being used to selectively wipe opposition supporters off the voter rolls.
The SP leader raised some pointed questions about how the process is actually working on the ground. He claimed that pre-printed "Form 7s" — the forms used to object to a voter's inclusion — are being distributed in villages by mystery figures. According to Yadav, these forms often feature forged signatures and complainants who don't actually exist, all to get names struck off without the legitimate voter ever knowing there was a problem.
Yadav was specific about who he believes is being targeted, pointing directly to the PDA communities— his shorthand for Pichhda (Backwards), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (Minorities). He argued that minority voters, in particular, are seeing their names deleted on a massive scale despite having all their paperwork in order. He made a direct appeal to everyone from mainstream news channels to local YouTubers to investigate these deletions and "blow the lid off" the conspiracy to protect the state's democracy.
For its part, the Election Commission has framed the exercise differently. Back on January 23, UP Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa explained that notices are being sent out to flag discrepancies between current records and those from 2003. The CEO insisted the goal is "No Voter Left Behind" and noted that they’ve actually relaxed the rules to make things easier. For instance, voters don't have to show up in person for hearings anymore; they can send a representative with a simple authorisation letter.
Despite those official reassurances, the political temperature is rising. With the SP claiming a targeted "slicing away" of votes and the state government maintaining it's just a routine cleanup of 20-year-old records, the battle over the voter list is likely to head to the courts next.
Also read: Akhilesh backs Mamata, slams SIR as NRC
Follow us
