BJP only ‘atmanirbhar’ when EC supports it: Sibal attacks govt over SIR fraud

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on 4 April alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is “atmanirbhar” in elections only when supported by the Election Commission of India, citing alleged irregularities in voter registration ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls.

Addressing a press conference, Sibal claimed that at least five individuals were registered as voters in both West Bengal and Bihar.

“We have the instance of at least five people who are voters in Bihar and are registered both in Bihar and West Bengal,” he said, displaying their details and EPIC numbers.

Allegations of wider irregularities

Sibal claimed that the identified cases could be part of a larger pattern.

“These five have been caught — there would be thousands like this,” he alleged.

He said such instances raise concerns about the integrity of electoral rolls and questioned the role of authorities overseeing the process.

“This means that the BJP is also not ‘atmanirbhar’ in elections. It is only ‘atmanirbhar’ when the EC is supporting it,” he said.

Reference to past claims

The Independent MP also referred to earlier allegations regarding voter additions in other states.

He claimed that concerns were raised by opposition parties about the addition of voters in Maharashtra and Delhi, though those issues surfaced after elections.

“Luckily in West Bengal, things have come to light before the polls,” he said.

Sibal also cited a past instance during Bihar elections, alleging that trains were used to transport voters, a claim that was denied by the government at the time.

Political context

His remarks come days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging inclusion of “non-genuine residents” in the state’s electoral rolls.

In her letter, Banerjee termed such applications “illegal, unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic”.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on 23 April and 29 April, with counting scheduled for 4 May.

There was no immediate response from the BJP or the Election Commission to Sibal’s allegations.