CM’s concern over voter deletions endorses Rahul’s claims: UP Congress

“Though the chief minister has cited a figure of 1.27 crore, it is only half the actual number. By raising the concern, the UP chief minister has echoed the apprehensions Rahul Gandhi had expressed earlier,” Aradhana Mishra said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra on Tuesday said the concern raised by chief minister Yogi Adityanath over the deletion of voters’ names in the state was an endorsement of what Rahul Gandhi had been saying.

UP Congress president Aradhana Mishra

“Though the chief minister has cited a figure of 1.27 crore, it is only half the actual number. By raising the concern, the UP chief minister has echoed the apprehensions Rahul Gandhi had expressed earlier,” Mishra said.

She pointed out that the chief minister had not only raised the issue but also said the BJP had submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission. “This is a major endorsement of what the Congress party has been saying. The SIR exercise must be stopped immediately, and Gyanesh Kumar (Chief Election Commissioner) must resign,” she said.

“Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are the forces behind the SIR process. The discrepancy between the number of voters cited by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister at a recent working committee meeting and the figure given by the Election Commission suggests a regime change in the state,” Mishra said.

She also questioned the claims made by the Union home minister and the chief minister. “While Amit Shah claims that the votes of infiltrators are being removed, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister himself speaks of over 1.27 crore names having been deleted. Whose statement should be considered?” she asked.

“One thing is absolutely clear: large-scale irregularities and corruption have taken place in the name of the SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh. We had earlier raised the incidents in Pilibhit, and a similar issue has now come to light in Mathura involving EPIC numbers. The entire SIR exercise should be scrapped, and Gyanesh Kumar should resign,” she said.

Asked about seat-sharing arrangements within the INDIA bloc for the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mishra said the final decision would be taken by the top leadership of the parties, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

“Our present focus is on chalking out a strategy to win the election and oust the BJP from power in Uttar Pradesh,” she said.

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are likely to decide on seat-sharing for the assembly elections by the end of November.