Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged large-scale misuse of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that professional agencies hired by the government were selectively targeting booths where his party had previously won elections.
Yadav said the agencies were operating from cities such as Delhi and Lucknow and had access to the entire electoral roll data. “Using this data, they are identifying booths where the Samajwadi Party won earlier. Form-7 is being systematically filled and sent from those booths,” he alleged.
According to the Election Commission, Form-7 is used to object to someone’s inclusion in the electoral roll or to request deletion of a listed voter’s name.
Yadav claimed the forms were being filled, printed and dispatched in an organised manner, leading to protests and disturbances in several places. He further alleged that the SIR exercise had already influenced election outcomes elsewhere in the country.
“Through the SIR, they have managed to win the Bihar elections. The exercise played a major role there,” he said.
He also alleged that similar attempts were being made in poll-bound West Bengal. “That is why the Bengal government and its chief minister are repeatedly saying that the poll panel has become the BJP’s commission,” he said.
Referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arguing her case against the SIR before the Supreme Court, Yadav said, “She was forced to wear the black coat and stand before the Supreme Court against the BJP. This shows the kind of discrimination that is taking place and how the Election Commission has become a ‘Sahyogi Dal’ (ally) of the BJP.”
Yadav claimed that Samajwadi workers and PDA ‘praharis’ had flagged suspicious forms. “From time to time, they have given us forms which were already filled,” he said.
PDA is a political acronym coined by Yadav to represent a coalition of backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
He also referred to specific cases, naming individuals he claimed were victims of forgery. “A matter involving Dashrath and Nandlal has come to light. Nandlal is with us. I am happy that he is standing with us,” Yadav said.
Alleging signature forgery, he added, “This is the same Nandlal whose thumb impression was allegedly taken by the BJP. Just think of all the sections invoked when someone forges a signature. The Election Commission also has rules on this.”
Yadav said he had given ₹1 lakh to Nandlal “for his courage” and claimed BJP leaders had earlier pressured him. He also said a temple was being constructed at Nandlal’s house and the Samajwadi Party would support the effort.
Demanding an immediate halt to the use of Form-7, Yadav said, “The Election Commission should stop getting Form-7 filled. When the entire exercise has been completed, the use of Form-7 should stop and the action taken under it be cancelled immediately.”
He also raised concerns about the safety of booth-level officers (BLOs), claiming that several had lost their lives without receiving government support. “Instead, pressure is being mounted on them. They were not even given proper training or facilities,” he alleged.
Targeting the Centre, Yadav said, “They talk about Digital India and a developed India, but the entire budget of the country has been prepared for multinational companies.”
Claiming that people had lost hope in the government, he said inflation had made life difficult for the poor and farmers. “Gold has become so expensive that poor families are unable to conduct marriages,” he added.
Stressing the role of constitutional bodies, Yadav said the Election Commission must remain impartial and protect democratic values. He also warned of an economic crisis, claiming the agriculture sector and farmers would be the worst affected if markets were opened further.
On the state Budget to be presented this week, Yadav said he had no expectations from the government. “This is the last Budget of the state government. When they did nothing all these years, what can we expect now?” he said, adding that his party MLAs would raise public issues in the Assembly.
Also read: Akhilesh flags ‘mega-scam’ in UP voter list revision
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