Congress workers led by state president Jitu Patwari marched to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Bhopal on Monday to protest the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party alleges that the exercise is being used to delete large numbers of voters.
Congress Workers Clash With Police at Barricades
Scuffles broke out between the police and party workers as some protesters tried to climb the barricades. Police used water cannon to push them back and later took the demonstrators away in buses.
One worker wore a mask of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and chained himself, with Patwari and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar seen holding the chain. Workers shouted “Vote chor, gaddi chhod.”
Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress vice-president Abhishek Parmar was seen trying to climb onto a bus window. Patwari was also made to board a bus but later got off. Former MLA Tarwar Singh Lodhi lost his shoes in the crowd and was seen walking barefoot.
Congress Leaders Allege Voter Deletions and Poll Manipulation
Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh alleged that the Election Commission was “working like an organisation of the BJP”. He claimed that around 13 crore names had been struck off through SIR.
Patwari alleged “manipulation” in the 2023 Assembly election, claiming the party had a favourable atmosphere for 130 to 160 seats but was reduced to 65. He called Chief Minister Mohan Yadav a “parchi ka mukhyamantri” and demanded a narco test for Shivraj Singh Chouhan over his description of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “yug purush”. He also cited deaths linked to spurious liquor, cough syrup and the Balaghat incident to target the state government.
State in-charge Harish Chaudhary said the fight was not about forming a government but about protecting the Constitution and democracy. Calling SIR illegal, he questioned how names could be deleted on the CEC’s orders if the body lacked the authority. He also alleged that Yadav became chief minister through “vote chori”.
Former minister Sajjan Singh Verma claimed that 43 lakh votes were deleted in Madhya Pradesh through SIR. He alleged that these votes benefited the BJP in the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections before being removed, and sought strict action against Kumar.
Demands Ballot Papers Over EVMs
Former Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh Rahul demanded that elections be held with ballot papers instead of EVMs. He said vote theft began in 2013 and urged all parties to unite on the demand.
Former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria said the party would boycott elections if they were held on EVMs. MLA Arif Masood urged the police not to put up barricades against party workers and said the fight would be decisive.
Satna MLA Siddharth Kushwaha claimed he learned during the Datia by-election that voters had been identified for deletion from the rolls through the BJP’s former Panna in-charges.
Cites Report on Election Commissioners’ Objections
The protest follows a report in The Indian Express, which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded at least 14 objections in the past 10 months to decisions related to electoral rolls and SIR. The Election Commission later said its decisions were taken unanimously.
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