CM Yogi’s deleted Hindu voters remark sparks political slugfest

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday reiterated his concern over the alleged deletion of Hindu voters’ names and inclusion of bogus entries in electoral rolls, which prompted reactions from the opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav alleging that the CM made the remark to “spread fear in society”.

Addressing a BJP state-level workshop on the party’s voter enrolment campaign in Lucknow, Yogi, according to people aware of the matter, stressed the need to identify fraudulent and multiple registrations, citing an example from Meerut where, he claimed, a Muslim man had more than half-a-dozen voter entries under different names, including one bearing a Hindu name.

Meanwhile, Yadav alleged that the CM’s remark was a part of a “conspiracy”. “The chief minister somehow knows exactly how many votes have been struck off the electoral rolls... I feel his remark is part of a conspiracy. It is very calculated, and intended to spread fear in society,” he said.

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He alleged that the ruling party planned to bring individuals from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and possibly other places to register them on the Uttar Pradesh electoral rolls.

He claimed the exercise involved “underground or unregistered elements” and warned that voters would face mismatched lists inside and outside polling booths. “This is all a big conspiracy by the BJP,” he asserted.

Responding to Yadav’s remarks, BJP state spokesperson Dinesh Pratap Singh said: “Based on feedback from party workers, an assessment of missing voters has been made. The issue was also addressed at the party’s meeting on SIR today (Friday). Akhilesh Yadav need not worry.”

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Congress MP Pawan Khera also questioned the BJP, saying his party had been flagging concerns about alleged deletion of voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise across the country for months.

“They’re only saying this today. We’ve been saying for months that wherever SIR is happening across the country, votes are being deleted. Now, if their voters — or anyone who knows someone who got deleted — ask why Amit Shah is having their names removed. Do they want to lose,” asked Khera.