Akhilesh Yadav Alleges BJP Exploiting ‘Logical Discrepancy’ Rule to Cancel PDA Votes in UP
Samajwadi Party chief claims misuse of Form 7 and SIR data aimed at marginalizing backward, Dalit, and minority voters
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged that the BJP is exploiting the newly introduced ‘logical discrepancy’ clause and Form 7 under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh to systematically suppress votes of PDA (Pichhde, Dalits, and minorities) communities.
Addressing a press briefing, Akhilesh said the SP plans to meet the Election Commission with a delegation of MLAs to present evidence of large-scale irregularities and seek intervention to stop the misuse.
“The mass deletion of voter names at specific booths through Form 7, often signed in bulk by a single person, indicates that SIR data is being funneled to BJP-linked agencies targeting vulnerable voters,” he said. “Now, this misuse has extended to the ‘logical discrepancy’ clause, seemingly aimed solely at PDA voters.”
Citing examples from Ayodhya, Akhilesh revealed that 95,000 notices were issued under the clause, with a single booth sending 181 notices—76% belonging to PDA voters, including 46% Yadavs or Muslims. He stressed that similar patterns are emerging statewide, but the SP lacks the necessary access to SIR data to document it comprehensively.
The SP chief also highlighted instances of alleged criminal misuse of Form 7. In Sultanpur’s Jaisinghpur constituency, 26 forms signed by an illiterate individual were submitted to delete neighbours’ votes. In Sikandarpur, Ballia, 126 names including that of an SP MLA’s wife—were removed fraudulently.
Supporting his allegations with numbers, Akhilesh said one booth recorded 47 Form 7 submissions from SP, 1,729 from BJP, and 1,28,659 by unidentified individuals. “Who are these 1.28 lakh people targeting voter names?” he questioned, calling for a probe.
He accused the BJP of directing District Magistrates associated with SIR to facilitate the process and called on the Election Commission to take strict action to safeguard the electoral rights of marginalized communities in Uttar Pradesh.
