BJP Cites 28-Seat Tally to Counter Congress Claims on EVMs and SIR

Stepping up its political offensive against the opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party held a high-level press briefing in Patna under its 'Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy' campaign, strongly rejecting allegations raised by the Congress party regarding the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs), summary revision processes, and constitutional bodies. Addressing reporters, former Bihar BJP state president and Member of Parliament Sanjay Jaiswal, accompanied by senior leader and Arwal MLA Manoj Sharma alongside state media in-charges Danish Iqbal and Ashok Bhatt, asserted that the opposition routinely targets the Election Commission of India after facing electoral setbacks. Highlighting the outcomes of recent Legislative Council elections conducted through paper ballots, the party claimed that voting mechanisms have no bearing on public mandates when political credibility is lacking.Ballot Paper Elections Exposed Claims: Congress Reduced to 1 of 28 SeatsThe BJP leadership cited recent preferential voting outcomes to challenge the ongoing narrative surrounding paper ballots:Minimal Council Tally: Sanjay Jaiswal pointed out that while the Congress consistently advocates for paper ballots over EVMs, the party managed to win only a single seat out of 28 in the Legislative Council elections, which were conducted entirely via paper ballots under the preferential voting framework.Swept in Karnataka: The party highlighted that the trend repeated in Karnataka, where the Congress was defeated across all four council seats contested via traditional paper ballots.Politicizing Defeats: Jaiswal alleged that repeated electoral reversals have led the opposition, steered by Rahul Gandhi, into launching sustained campaigns aimed at sowing public mistrust against established constitutional mechanisms.Historical Precedents of Special Intensive Revision: 47 Lakh Entries Cleaned in BiharDefending the Election Commission's statutory authority to verify and update electoral rolls, the BJP outlined the historical lineage of roll sanitization:Eight Revisions Since 1950: The leadership stated that Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises are fully protected under the Constitution and have been conducted eight times since 1950, with seven of those revisions occurring during Congress administrations.Deceased and Duplicate Deletions: During last year's comprehensive revision in Bihar alone, election authorities rectified 47 lakh invalid entries, systematically removing deceased electors, permanently shifted voters, and duplicate records.No Valid Objections Lodged: Jaiswal emphasized that despite a full year passing since the removal of those 47 lakh non-existent records, not a single genuine citizen came forward to claim wrongful exclusion.Strict Statutory Criteria: The party underlined that voter roll enrollment strictly requires undisputed Indian citizenship, attainment of 18 years of age, and ordinary residence in the concerned constituency.Infiltration and Border Verification: Constitutional Safeguards on FranchiseThe briefing addressed contentious debates regarding undocumented migration and fraudulent documentation along sensitive corridors:No Voting Franchise for Infiltrators: The BJP emphasized that while the Constitution of India provides equal franchise to all bona fide citizens irrespective of faith—including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis—it completely bars foreign infiltrators and illegal immigrants from voter lists.Fake Identity Concerns: Jaiswal alleged that during Trinamool Congress governance in West Bengal, undocumented migrants were settled and illegally enrolled using fraudulent paperwork, noting past seizures of fraudulent local identity cards from 24 South Parganas.Targeting Systematic Roll Cleansing: The party noted that the sole objective of voter list verification is to purge entries obtained through deceptive records while ensuring genuine citizens easily resolve clerical errors through statutory notices.Constitutional Mandate Under Article 324: MLA Manoj Sharma Calls for Multi-Party CooperationSenior BJP leader and Arwal legislator Manoj Sharma called upon all political outfits to support administrative transparency rather than attacking institutions:Superintendence and Control: Sharma cited Article 324 of the Constitution, which vests the sole superintendence, direction, and control of electoral rolls and elections in the Election Commission of India.Principle of One Person, One Vote: The legislator affirmed that constitutional architects designed a multi-party democratic framework where every authentic vote carries equal weight, making regular roll purification vital to preserving fair elections.Constructive Participation Over Accusations: The party urged opposition groups to work constructively with regulatory authorities during revision drives rather than creating suspicion around standard administrative procedures.