States » SouthPosted at: Oct 6 2026 10:34PM


'Ask Chennithala about SIR benefits': Suresh Gopi slams Rahul Gandhi's stance; 'Opponents made even deceased vote'

Achuthanandan Kuniyil
Kozhikode, Oct 6 (UNI) union Minister Suresh Gopi took a sharp swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, suggesting that Gandhi should ask his party colleague Ramesh Chennithala about benefits of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls because Chennithala had previously praised the process and credited it with helping the Congress party.
Speaking to reporters in Kochi on Tuesday, Suresh Gopi mounted a strong defence of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, describing it as "essential" to guarantee transparent and fair elections.
Gopi insisted that cleaning up the electoral roll is essential to prevent ghost voting and ensure genuine election integrity across the country
"One should ask Ramesh Chennithala what benefits the SIR has brought. It should be made into a book and sent to Rahul Gandhi. The SIR is indispensable; it must happen.
"Even Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has spoken about it. Here, there are people who have even made dead bodies vote," the union minister said.
By saying Chennithala should be asked about the benefits of SIR, Suresh Gopi is pointing out that the Congress party's own senior leadership in Kerala acknowledges that SIR cleans up the voting system, directly debunking Rahul Gandhi's national narrative against the revision.
Gopi argued that these positive outcomes should be documented in a book and sent to Rahul Gandhi so he can understand how the process actually helped his own party prevent bogus voting.
Ramesh Chennithala, along with other Kerala Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor, previously stated that the SIR cleanup was highly beneficial.
Chennithala noted that the revision helped remove duplicate, fake, and bogus entries, including those registered under the names of deceased individuals, which ultimately prevented electoral fraud and aided the Congress-led UDF's performance in Kerala.
Seizing on Chennithala's past statements acknowledging that the cleanup helped curb fraudulent voting and aided the UDF's electoral prospects, BJP leaders have highlighted the contradiction between the state and central leadership of the Congress party.
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Tags: #'Ask Chennithala about SIR benefits': Suresh Gopi slams Rahul Gandhi's stance; 'Opponents made even deceased vote'
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