Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday claimed that three crore of the 13 crore voters removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were “Bangladeshi infiltrators”, accusing the Congress of opposing the exercise to protect them.
Addressing a rally in Hyderabad, Shah said that 6.25 crore voters had shifted to new addresses, around three crore were deceased and approximately one crore entries were duplicates.
“The remaining three crore do not even exist. They are Bangladeshi infiltrators,” Shah claimed.
He asked whether such names should be removed from electoral rolls and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of opposing the revision to protect what he described as illegal infiltrators.
“The Congress party wants to capture elections through bogus voting,” Shah alleged.
The Opposition has raised concerns over the deletion of voters during the revision, alleging that around 13 crore names have been removed from electoral rolls in areas where the exercise has been conducted.
The INDIA bloc has also accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of irregularities in the revision process and called for his resignation.
On Saturday, Opposition leaders held a symbolic public impeachment of Kumar, accusing him of conspiring to steal votes.
Opposition Raises Concerns Over Voter Deletions
The SIR began with its first phase in Bihar in 2025 and was subsequently extended to 12 states and Union Territories in the second phase. A third phase is underway in 19 states and Union Territories, according to the report.
Concerns have persisted that the revision could result in genuine voters being excluded from electoral rolls and potentially influence election outcomes.
In May, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the revision exercise but clarified that it did not authorise the Election Commission to determine whether an individual was an Indian citizen.
Despite the distinction, some BJP ruled states have reportedly cited the SIR to deny ration cards to people whose names were deleted from electoral rolls. In some cases, police have also denied permission for passport renewals.
Shah Defends SIR, Targets Rahul Gandhi
Shah’s remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, where the Congress leader criticised the revision of electoral rolls.
The home minister also rejected Gandhi’s argument linking the BJP’s electoral victories to the SIR, pointing to the party’s wins in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the exercise was not conducted in its current form.
Shah cited the BJP’s victories in Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar and other states while defending the party’s electoral record.
He also targeted Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, saying the BJP would ensure that every infiltrator was removed from voter lists and driven out of the country.
Shah led a BJP padyatra in Hyderabad on Monday as part of the party’s campaign against the INDIA bloc’s opposition to the SIR. The march began near the Babu Jagjivan Ram statue in Basheerbagh and was attended by Union ministers, BJP legislators and party workers.
