K.C. Venugopal accuses EC of targeting marginalised voters through SIR

In a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC), senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal on Thursday, 11 September, accused the poll body of misusing the special intensive revision (SIR) process to selectively delete voters from marginalised communities.

Alleging that the EC had shed its neutrality and was acting in favour of the ruling BJP, Venugopal said: “The SIR was planned to delete electors, especially targeting SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, and poor people. What’s the motive behind doing this just before the elections?”

Speaking to journalists in Kolkata, where he was addressing a party organisational meeting, the Congress general secretary charged the poll body with backing the government. “The EC is clearly a party to this. They have lost their neutrality,” he said.

Venugopal also criticised the lack of transparency, arguing that such a sweeping exercise should have involved consultation with all political parties. While acknowledging the need for clean electoral rolls, he drew a sharp distinction between genuine correction and politically motivated deletion.

“We want free and fair elections. If SIR was meant to correct rolls and ensure genuine voters, fine. But if it’s to delete voters, how can that be justified?” he asked.

The Congress leader linked the exercise to what he called a wider BJP strategy of polarisation and deflection. “BJP’s only design is to polarise, whether by manipulating the voters’ list or diverting people from real issues. But voters have understood this,” he said.

On the recently concluded vice-presidential election, Venugopal avoided commenting on cross-voting but asserted that the INDIA bloc’s unity remained strong. “We knew it would be an ideal fight. Those who believed in our ideology voted for our candidate. Congress is fighting across the nation for the Constitution,” he said.

Asked about a possible alliance with the Left for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls, he said the decision would rest with the state unit. “The PCC will decide. They have the freedom to discuss and propose a solution to the high command,” he noted.

Earlier, Venugopal accused the BJP of trying to deflect attention from Rahul Gandhi’s charge of “vote chori.” He alleged the ruling party was “sabotaging” elections with the EC’s help.

“Whenever Rahul Gandhi speaks the truth, the BJP’s strategy is to distract people. Across India, people believe in vote theft,” he claimed.

With PTI inputs