Ahmedabad, Jan 21 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress separately accused the BJP of engineering large-scale voter deletions during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat.
Both opposition parties alleged that false applications were being filed in bulk as part of a coordinated attempt to disenfranchise voters.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, AAP Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi claimed the SIR process was being misused to delete voters’ names despite the completion of door-to-door verification.
He alleged that over nine lakh applications seeking deletion had been submitted, purportedly by BJP workers, calling the sudden spike “highly suspicious.”
Gadhvi alleged the move was aimed at weakening democracy by selectively targeting voters perceived to support opposition parties.
Citing Jamkhambhaliya as an example, he claimed that around 15, 000 applications had been filed to cancel voter registrations in the constituency, which he said was part of a broader plan to remove nearly 10, 000 votes across Assembly segments.
He further alleged that up to 72 lakh voters had already been deleted from the rolls.
AAP also released what it described as an audio recording to support its claims, asserting that no Form-7 application had been filed by a woman named Dipaliben, contrary to official records.
Speaking to IANS, Gadhvi said the party had identified at least 100 cases of allegedly fraudulent deletion requests and would submit its findings to the Election Commission.
“We will visit all 182 Assembly constituencies to verify these voter deletion applications personally, ” he said.
He warned that the party would initiate legal action -- from the electoral registration officer level to the district collector -- and approach the Supreme Court if required, if even a single voter was wrongly removed.
He also demanded police action against those filing false applications and officials allegedly acting under political pressure, while urging the Election Commission to remain neutral.
Echoing similar concerns, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Chavda alleged that nearly 10 lakh false Form-7 applications had been submitted as part of a “planned conspiracy” to deprive voters of their constitutional rights.
“Form-7 submissions were negligible until January 15, but were filed in bulk between January 16 and 18. The Election Commission must release district-wise data and CCTV footage showing who submitted these applications, ” Chavda said.
He added that the Congress would not allow even a single voter to be disenfranchised and announced statewide protests, including gheraos of collector offices, along with legal action if necessary.