Samajwadi Party Chief Levels Serious Allegations Against BJP Over Electoral Roll Revision
In a significant political development, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has launched a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing them of orchestrating a systematic campaign to manipulate electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh. Armed with comprehensive statistical data, detailed case studies from specific polling booths, and rigorous analysis of randomly selected assembly constituencies, Yadav presented what he described as evidence of widespread electoral malpractice during a press conference in Lucknow on Monday.
Allegations of Targeted Voter Deletion Through Form 7
The SP chief specifically pointed to what he termed the "misuse" of Form 7 and the newly introduced 'logical discrepancy' clause, claiming these mechanisms are being weaponized to "plunder" votes belonging to the PDA (Pichrde, Dalits, Alpsankhyak) communities. "The targeted manner in which mass deletion of PDA votes is being sought at particular booths through Form 7, which are more often than not signed in bulk by a single individual, strongly suggests that Special Intensive Revision data is being shared with the BJP," Yadav asserted during his address to journalists.
Documentation of Systematic Pattern Across Constituencies
To substantiate his allegations, Yadav provided detailed documentation from Ayodhya constituency where, according to his presentation, approximately 95,000 notices have been issued under the 'logical discrepancy' category alone. He highlighted a specific polling booth in Ayodhya where notices have been served to 181 voters, with about 76% belonging to the PDA community. Within this group, 46% were identified as either Yadavs or Muslims.
"The pattern we have documented is consistent across the state," Yadav emphasized. "If we had access to the necessary technological resources and the complete Election Commission data from the Special Intensive Revision, we could demonstrate that the situation is equally concerning, if not worse, in other regions."
Form 7 Misuse and Questionable Signatures
The SP president presented what he called "exposés" of Form 7 misuse, including the case of Nand Lal from Jaisinghpur Assembly constituency in Sultanpur district. According to Yadav's documentation, 26 forms bearing Nand Lal's signature were submitted to the Booth Level Officer seeking deletion of his neighbors' votes. "When Nand Lal is reportedly illiterate and cannot read or write, how did he manage to sign these Form 7 documents? This fundamental question remains unanswered," Yadav questioned, criticizing district authorities for not investigating the matter or filing a First Information Report.
Forgery and Unidentified Applicants
Yadav further alleged instances of criminal forgery, citing cases where Form 7 documents contained forged signatures of local Samajwadi Party leaders seeking deletion of names belonging to party supporters themselves. He referenced Sikandarpur constituency in Ballia where, he claimed, a Booth Level Officer struck off 126 votes including that of an SP MLA's wife.
Perhaps most striking were the statistics Yadav presented from one polling booth: 47 Form 7 applications submitted by the SP, 1,729 by the BJP, and a staggering 128,659 by unidentified individuals. "These figures speak volumes," Yadav stated. "Who are these over 1.28 lakh unidentified people pursuing voter name deletions? This demands immediate investigation and transparency."
Seeking Election Commission Intervention
In response to these alleged irregularities, Akhilesh Yadav announced that his party is now formally seeking an appointment with the Election Commission of India. A delegation of Samajwadi Party MLAs plans to present their documented evidence regarding what they describe as "rampant misuse" of Form 7 and the 'logical discrepancy' clause, seeking the Commission's intervention to address what they term "electoral anomalies."
"It appears this 'logical discrepancy' clause, which has been introduced for the first time, has been specifically designed to target PDA voters exclusively," Yadav claimed, suggesting a deliberate pattern of voter suppression against marginalized communities ahead of upcoming elections.
