‘Were annual Summary Revisions since 2014 really that shoddy?’: Pawan Khera hits back at BJP
Congress leader Pawan Khera questions BJP over the removal of 13 crore voters from electoral rolls and the accuracy of annual summary revisions.
In a heated political confrontation, Congress leader Pawan Khera has launched a scathing counter-attack against the BJP regarding the ongoing Summary Revision (SIR) process. The controversy erupted after the BJP accused leaders of the INDIA bloc of raising baseless concerns over the integrity of electoral rolls.
The 13 Crore Voter Discrepancy
The political row intensified following a post by the BJP on social media platform X. In its post, the BJP claimed that the Summary Revision exercise had successfully removed 2.8 crore deceased voters from the electoral rolls. The BJP further alleged that keeping such names on the lists could lead to misuse for bogus voting and questioned who benefited from these inaccuracies.
However, Pawan Khera has challenged the BJP's narrative by highlighting a massive gap in their figures. While the BJP acknowledged the removal of 2.8 crore deceased voters, Khera pointed out that a staggering 13 crore voters have been removed under the SIR process in total.
Khera Questions BJP's Oversight
Khera raised critical questions regarding the management of electoral rolls over the last decade. He specifically targeted the BJP's handling of the voter lists by asking:
- "What about the remaining 10.2 crore voters?"
- "If 2.8 crore dead people were still on the rolls, were the annual Summary Revisions since 2014 really that shoddy?"
- "Is the BJP admitting that it has failed for years to maintain electoral rolls properly?"
The Congress leader’s remarks suggest that if the BJP's claims about deceased voters are accurate, it implies a long-term failure in maintaining clean electoral rolls, whereas if they are inaccurate, it leaves the fate of the other 10.2 crore removed names in question.
Election Commission Under Scrutiny
The Summary Revision exercise has transitioned from a routine administrative task into a major political flashpoint. Opposition parties are demanding greater transparency regarding the reasons for large-scale deletions and have even called for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The tension has been further fueled by reports suggesting internal friction within the Election Commission. It has been reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a ten-month period regarding specific decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise.
In response to the escalating controversy, the Election Commission met on Saturday and issued fresh guidelines concerning the ongoing SIR exercise. The Commission has maintained that the primary objective of the SIR is to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls, noting that the final number of electors will only be confirmed once the exercise is completed and final rolls are published across all remaining states.