New Delhi, Nov 27: Congress MP from Raibareli and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP following the tragic death of a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, whose family alleged he was forced to remove OBC voters from electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Responding to a Congress post on X featuring a statement by deceased BLO Vipin Yadav’s brother-in-law, Rahul Gandhi said, “‘Cut the names of OBC voters, or else you’ll lose your job.’ Pressure, threats… and the result? In the end, suicide.”
He accused the BJP of using the SIR exercise to manipulate the voter list in its favour. “Under the guise of SIR, BJP is preparing its voter list by removing backward, Dalit, deprived, and poor voters,” Rahul Gandhi said, adding that the ECI is responsible for the murder of democracy.
The Election Commission has ordered the SIR exercise in 10 states and 3 union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Assam. The process is scheduled to be completed in just over three months, with only one month allotted for the enumeration phase, placing immense pressure on BLOs to collect the necessary forms within the tight timeline.
Several BLOs have reportedly faced extreme stress due to these deadlines, and in some cases, the pressure has allegedly led to suicides.
According to Yadav’s family, he was threatened by the SDM and two other officials associated with the SIR exercise, allegedly told to remove OBC voters, and warned of suspension if he refused. This, they claim, drove him to take his life.
The Election Commission has not yet responded to the allegations raised by Yadav’s family or to Rahul Gandhi’s statements.