BJP Questions Sonia Gandhi Voters List History | India News
BJP Accuses Congress of Electoral Malpractice, Questions Sonia Gandhi’s Voter Registration
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing attack on the Indian National Congress, alleging widespread electoral malpractice and raising questions about the voter registration of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. The accusations come amidst a heated exchange sparked by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims of irregularities in the electoral process.
Claims of Voter Irregularities and “Appeasement Politics”
BJP leader Anurag Thakur accused the Congress party of engaging in ”appeasement politics” and relying on specific groups to secure their vote bank.He cited examples of alleged irregularities including duplicate voters, fake addresses, manipulated age records, and mass voting in key constituencies.Thakur specifically pointed to Raebareli (Rahul Gandhi’s constituency), diamond Harbour (TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s seat), and Kannauj (Akhilesh Yadav’s constituency) as areas where such practices were prevalent.
Thakur’s statements follow Rahul Gandhi’s recent press conference where he presented evidence alleging “vote chori” (vote theft) by the Election Commission (EC). Gandhi highlighted anomalies in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, citing “one crore mystery voters,” destruction of CCTV footage, thousands of fake voters, and the EC’s alleged refusal to share voter-related data.
Doubts Raised Over Sonia Gandhi’s Voter ID
The BJP has specifically questioned the inclusion of Sonia Gandhi’s name on the voter list, alleging violations of electoral law. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya claimed that her name first appeared on the rolls in 1980, three years before she obtained Indian citizenship, while she was still an Italian citizen.
Malviya detailed the circumstances, stating that in 1980, the electoral rolls for the New Delhi parliamentary constituency were revised with January 1, 1980, as the qualifying date. “During this revision, Sonia Gandhi’s name was added, appearing at serial number 388 in polling station 145,” he said.”This entry was a clear violation of the law, which requires a person to be an Indian citizen to be registered as a voter.”
According to Malviya, after public outcry in 1982, her name was removed, only to reappear again in 1983. “If this isn’t blatant electoral malpractice, what is?” he questioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Historical Context and Ongoing Dispute
The controversy stems from Rahul Gandhi’s allegations presented during his press conference on August 7th. He presented what he termed as evidence of irregularities,prompting the BJP to respond with counter-accusations and scrutiny of the Gandhi family’s electoral history. The BJP’s focus on sonia Gandhi’s voter registration aims to discredit the Congress’s claims of electoral manipulation by highlighting alleged past instances of wrongdoing.
The dispute underscores the increasing political tension surrounding the integrity of India’s electoral process and the accusations leveled by both sides regarding fairness and transparency. The Election Commission has yet to issue a complete response to the allegations made by both the Congress and the BJP.