Voter list purification key to developed India: Union minister CR Patil
Patil was addressing booth-level presidents at a booth empowerment and felicitation programme organised by the Varanasi BJP
Purification of the voter list is essential to fulfil the goal of a developed India by 2047, Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil said on Sunday. Taking a swipe at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Patil said she knows that if the Special Summary Revision (SIR) is implemented, the names of all fake voters would be removed from the list. He also claimed that Banerjee, who had said that no one would fill the SIR form, was the first to submit the form herself.
Patil was addressing booth-level presidents at a booth empowerment and felicitation programme organised by the Varanasi BJP. During the event, 116 BJP booth unit presidents from booths that recorded more than 70% voter turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were felicitated with shawls and mementoes.
Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Patil said that during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party had resolved to strengthen weak booths with low voter turnout and honour booth presidents who ensured better participation. “The felicitation programme was delayed due to some urgent engagements,” he said.
Referring to the ongoing SIR exercise in 12 states, Patil reiterated that Mamata Banerjee is opposing it as it would lead to the removal of fake voters. He claimed that the welfare initiatives of Prime Minister Modi have strengthened public trust in him, even in West Bengal.
Patil described the voter revision exercise as a campaign of democratic awareness. “Purification of the voter list will strengthen democracy, and a strong democracy will help build a strong nation. This exercise is essential to realise Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Addressing the booth presidents, BJP national general secretary Sunil Bansal urged them to expand their booth committees by adding new members and building strong teams to increase voter turnout in upcoming elections. He also asked them to organise group listening sessions of Prime Minister Modi’s Mann Ki Baat at the booth level on the last Sunday of every month.
Bansal said that Form 6 would soon be required to enrol new voters, ensuring that the names of all citizens above 18 years of age are included in the voter list. On SIR, he called upon booth workers to intensify their efforts to add missing names and remove incorrect entries by the 26th of this month.
He alleged that the opposition was spreading misinformation about SIR, falsely claiming that voters could lose property if their names were added to voter lists in urban areas. “SIR is only related to voting rights and has no connection with any other issue,” Bansal said, adding that booth presidents must inform voters about the reality of SIR to counter the confusion.
Bansal said the SIR campaign is being conducted in 12 states, including West Bengal, and claimed that around 50 lakh fake voters have already been removed from electoral rolls in that state. “Similarly, in Kashi, we must ensure that every eligible citizen is included and every bogus name is removed,” he said.
