In this picture released on Oct. 29, 2025, people cheer during public meetings of INDIA bloc leaders ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections in Muzaffarpur. (AICC via PTI Photo) | Photo credit: PTI
The Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday criticized the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls announced recently by the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying the exercise could leave thousands of people, especially tribals, off the electoral roll.
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Umang Singhar alleged that the SIR is a “conspiracy” by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to “wipe out” about 50 million votes from Madhya Pradesh ahead of the next elections.
On Monday, the ECI announced the second phase of SIR in 12 states and Union Territories. Apart from MP, 11 states and UTs are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The first phase of SIR was held in Bihar, after which more than 68 thousand names were deleted from the electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference in Bhopal, Mr. Singhar said the state has more than 21% tribal population and a large number of them live in remote areas where access to digital platforms and documents is limited.
“Lakhs of tribal voters could have been removed from the roll without any fault on their part. ECI issued 13 documents for SIR, including Forest Rights Certificate. However, the state government has rejected more than three lakh applications for forest rights since March 2025. Thus, tribal voters may be deprived (of their right to vote) due to lack of certificates,” the Tribal Election Commission prepared to cut 15 lacs. Singhar claimed and raised suspicions that a similar lack of documents could impact other marginalized communities such as Dalits, minorities and smaller OBC groups.
“The Election Commission deliberately wants to rush SIR. Rushing it means millions of voters will be left out. In Madhya Pradesh 40-50 million people are leaving (the state) for work, so they will all have to return to Madhya Pradesh within a month to prove their authenticity?” asked the Congress leader.
“This is a conspiracy of the BJP which is being carried out through the Election Commission for the upcoming elections. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is laying the foundation for the next elections,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, leaders of various Left parties have also questioned the proposed exercise, saying it is “part of a conspiracy to further the Sangh Parivar’s agenda to disenfranchise the poor, tribals, Dalits, women and minorities”.
In a joint statement, the Left parties said about 10 million women voters were removed from the electoral roll in Bihar.
“This is the first time in history that the number of female voters has decreased despite the increase in female population and partial improvement in the gender ratio in Bihar. The Election Commission has claimed that it is using this process to remove infiltrators from the electoral roll. However, the Chief Election Commissioner did not reveal during his press conference how many infiltrators were found in Bihar and what happened to them and what happened to them from all the parties that did not call CJPPI (and M.) in the state on November 6.
Published – 29 Oct 2025 20:03 IST
