Sibal questions Yogi's claim on deletion of 1.27 cr Hindu voters, flags Owaisi-Azad alliance

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday questioned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's claim that 1.27 crore Hindu voters had been deleted from the state's electoral rolls, demanding that he disclose the names and constituencies concerned.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Sibal asked Adityanath to explain how he arrived at the figure and make the details public.

"I want to ask Yogi ji, how do you know this figure? If you know which names have been removed, put them before the people. Which names have been deleted from which constituencies?" he said.

Sibal also cautioned against the addition of names through Form 8 when they had not actually been deleted from electoral rolls, alleging that such additions could influence election results.

"It should not happen that names which have not been removed are added once again through Form 8. If one crore names are added, they (BJP) will win the election," he said.

Contrasting Adityanath's claim with Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's assertion that the revision exercise had been conducted properly, Sibal said there was little clarity about the process.

"Neither Yogi ji knows, nor Maurya ji knows, nor do the people know what is happening. Only the Centre knows," he said.

Owaisi-Azad alliance

Sibal also flagged the possible electoral implications of the recently announced alliance between the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), led by Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Uttar Pradesh.

He said the alliance could attract votes from sections of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and minority communities, potentially affecting the Samajwadi Party and Congress.

Sibal said even if the alliance did not win seats, it could influence electoral outcomes by affecting victory margins.

"The margins in assembly elections are narrow. You are against the BJP, you keep speaking against the BJP. If the votes which are not going to the BJP go to you, it will make a difference," he said.

Responding to allegations that Azad was acting at the BJP's behest, Sibal said he was not making such a claim but believed the alliance could hurt the electoral prospects of the SP and Congress.

"Ultimately, we all want the BJP to lose," he said.

Allegations of electoral roll irregularities

Citing alleged irregularities in Maharashtra, particularly Pune, Sibal referred to complaints of wrongful voter deletions and shifting of names between constituencies.

He explained that Form 6 is used for inclusion in electoral rolls, Form 7 for seeking deletion of a name and Form 8 for shifting residence or correcting particulars.

Sibal said Forms 6 and 8 were required to be filed by the concerned voter, while Form 7 allowed another person to seek deletion of a voter's name, subject to prescribed procedures.

Referring to a report in The Indian Express, he cited a complaint by NCP leader Ajit Gavhane alleging that 58 voters had been wrongfully deleted through Form 7. He said a subsequent inquiry had identified 5,603 such cases across several constituencies.

He also alleged that Form 8 applications for shifting voters between constituencies had been approved without field verification by booth-level officers in Pimpri, Thane and Khadakwasla.

"The CEO office ordered an inquiry. Officials admitted that Form 8 applications were accepted without any field verification. Someone else was filing these forms, and claiming that the voter had shifted," he said.

Questioning the Election Commission's assurance that deleted names would be restored, Sibal asked why they had been removed in the first place.

"Form 6, Form 7 and Form 8 -- there has been fraud in all three forms," he said, describing the alleged actions of the Election Commission as a "betrayal of democracy".

Parliament session

On speculation about a second part of Parliament's Monsoon Session, Sibal expressed doubts that it would conduct much business, saying the first part had been "dry" and the second was likely to be the same.

He also alleged that defections of MPs from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) were aimed at helping the BJP secure a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament.