Gandhinagar, Oct 13 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying around 14.5 per cent of names had been removed from the state’s voter list, a higher proportion than in any state governed by an opposition party, and rejected allegations that the exercise was being used to selectively delete voters.
In a post on social media platform X, Patel said claims by the opposition that the revision was aimed at unilaterally removing voters’ names were “completely divorced from reality”.
He argued that the figures showed the process was impartial and that the removals primarily involved deceased voters, people who had migrated and duplicate entries.
“The vast majority of the removed names belong to individuals who have passed away, migrated, or had duplicate entries,” Patel said, adding that accurate electoral rolls were essential for free and fair elections.
Citing figures for other states, the Chief Minister said around 2.05 crore names had been removed from the electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, which is governed by the BJP.
He also referred to West Bengal, claiming that approximately 63 per cent of the names removed there belonged to Hindus.
“If the objective were political, would the numbers look like this?” Patel asked, rejecting allegations that the exercise targeted particular voters or communities.
He said electoral rolls needed to be updated periodically to remove the names of deceased and duplicate voters and include newly eligible voters.
Patel described SIR as a “statutory process” conducted by the Election Commission and said it was transparent.
“Understand the facts and do not be misled by baseless claims. A clean and accurate voter list is the true guarantee of free and fair elections,” he said.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came on the day when BJP showed strong performance in state’s local body elections, including in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, where the party won 38 of the 44 seats.
The Congress secured five seats, while an Independent candidate won one. The Aam Aadmi Party, which had won one seat in 2021, failed to win any this time.
Patel also linked the election results to public support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the BJP’s development agenda.
Referring to comments made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the results, he said the mandate showed that voters had rejected what he described as the opposition’s negative narrative and politics-based on falsehoods.
“The historic victory secured by the BJP in Gujarat’s local bodies, including Gandhinagar, and the results of by-elections across the country show that the people continue to stand firmly with PM Modi,” Patel said in a separate post.
He called on the Congress and the INDIA bloc to introspect over their repeated electoral defeats in Gujarat, arguing that development and good governance continued to enjoy public support.
The SIR exercise has become a point of political contention, with opposition leaders raising concerns over the deletion of names from electoral rolls and the potential impact on eligible voters.
The Election Commission conducts electoral roll revisions to maintain voter records, including by removing entries that are no longer valid and adding newly eligible electors.
–IANS
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