India


Jairam Ramesh alleges voter roll manipulation in UP, Karnataka, demands Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

New Delhi, Oct 26 (UNI) Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh, on Monday, alleged fresh irregularities in electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of failing to prevent alleged manipulation of voter lists.
He demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a post on the social media platform X, Ramesh said the latest revelations had exposed a deepening crisis in the Election Commission and the Narendra Modi government.
He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s attempts to divert attention from the issue could not conceal the seriousness of the alleged irregularities.
Citing Uttar Pradesh, Ramesh said the ECI had ordered scrutiny of electoral rolls in all 403 Assembly constituencies following complaints raised by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
He claimed that in Azamgarh, the same individual’s name appeared 13 times on the electoral roll, describing the case as one among tens of thousands of alleged irregularities detected in just two constituencies.
Questioning the accountability measures taken so far, Ramesh alleged that eight junior officials were being held responsible while those who should be answerable for the lapses continued to escape punishment.
He said the reported discrepancies raised serious questions about the integrity of the preparation, verification and maintenance of electoral rolls.
Turning to Karnataka, the Congress leader alleged that the misuse of Form 7, which is used to raise objections to the inclusion of names or seek their deletion from electoral rolls on prescribed grounds, had continued despite protests by the Congress led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Ramesh claimed that 61,000 applications seeking the deletion of voters’ names had been filed in the names of election officials, without specifying reasons for the proposed deletions.
He questioned how such applications could continue to be submitted despite an ECI communication dated October 10, 2026, to state Chief Electoral Officers intended to address concerns over the improper use of Form 7.
“Every passing day brings forth new evidence of the mass, centralised manipulation orchestrated by CEC Gyanesh Kumar at the behest of the PM and HM,” Ramesh alleged, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He reiterated his demand for Kumar’s immediate resignation and an end to the SIR exercise.
The allegations have intensified the political confrontation over the integrity of electoral rolls and the safeguards governing the addition and deletion of voters’ names. Form 7 provides a mechanism for raising objections to entries in the electoral register, but the reasons for deletion must fall within prescribed grounds and be subject to the applicable verification procedures. Ensuring that such applications are scrutinised properly is crucial to preventing eligible voters from being wrongly removed from the rolls.
The Congress has repeatedly accused the Election Commission of failing to adequately address alleged discrepancies in voter lists and has demanded greater transparency and accountability in electoral roll revisions. The latest claims concerning Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are likely to add to opposition pressure on the Commission, although the allegations require examination and verification by the relevant election authorities.
At the heart of the controversy is whether the prescribed safeguards are being effectively enforced and whether questionable deletion requests are being scrutinised adequately to protect the voting rights of eligible citizens. The Election Commission’s response to the allegations, particularly those concerning duplicate entries in Uttar Pradesh and the reported Form 7 applications in Karnataka, will be central to establishing the facts and addressing concerns over the credibility of the electoral roll revision process.
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