Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 9: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over its protests against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, sharing an old parliamentary video of former Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal defending the process during the Congress-led UPA government.

The remarks came amid protests led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra against the Election Commission and the SIR exercise, which have disrupted normal activity in parts of central Delhi.

Taking to social media, Fadnavis shared archival footage of Sibal speaking in Parliament in support of the electoral roll revision framework. The video has gained traction online and is being cited by the Maharashtra Chief Minister to challenge the Opposition's current objections to the process.

Opposition parties have alleged that more than 13 crore names have been left out of the draft electoral rolls and have been protesting against the exercise, calling it a conspiracy and questioning its constitutionality.

Targeting the Congress leadership, Fadnavis highlighted what he described as a contradiction between the party's earlier position and its present opposition to the SIR process.

"Congress is busy shouting against SIR from every possible stage, only to have its own former Law Minister Kapil Sibal's words come back to expose the drama. The Parliament record doesn’t change with political convenience. Perhaps Congress should first check their own history before manufacturing new conspiracy theories. Sometimes, the best rebuttal comes from your own party’s past!" Fadnavis said.

The Chief Minister captioned the video "Congress' double standards", urging citizens to listen to the official parliamentary proceedings from the UPA era and judge for themselves who was telling the truth.

In the footage, Sibal explains the circumstances under which names are deleted or updated in electoral rolls. These include the removal of duplicate entries when a voter shifts from one constituency to another and registers at the new address, updating electoral rolls following boundary reorganisations, and deleting the names of deceased individuals after verification.

Sibal also emphasised that no legitimate voter could be denied registration by electoral registration officers, pointing out that millions of citizens routinely applied for inclusion in electoral rolls under established statutory provisions.

The video surfaced at a sensitive time, with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading sustained protests demanding a halt to the SIR process and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Congress has alleged that the exercise has resulted in the disenfranchisement of 13 crore people.

The demonstrations near Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission headquarters have witnessed tense confrontations with police, leading to complaints and further political exchanges.

BJP leaders have backed Fadnavis, accusing the Opposition of manufacturing a controversy over what they describe as a routine exercise to clean up electoral rolls, which the Congress-led government had previously supported and defended in Parliament.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra, launched targeted voter registration drives and door-to-door verification campaigns across the state a day earlier to maximise voter participation and ensure accurate electoral rolls.

Operating under the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, election authorities have said they are committed to ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral rolls and that no ineligible entries remain.

As part of the ongoing SIR exercise, special voter registration camps were conducted at colleges and universities across Maharashtra from October 5 to October 9. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were deployed at campus locations to assist eligible students in completing application forms and addressing queries regarding the revision process, according to a release issued by the CEO's office.

BLOs are also conducting door-to-door visits to identify eligible citizens whose names are missing from the draft electoral rolls and collecting Form 6 applications after verification.

For residents who were unavailable during the home visits, special voter registration camps will be held at all designated polling stations on October 10 and 11, 2026.

Citizens whose names appear on the list of absent or migrated voters, compiled during the house-to-house enumeration, can apply for re-enrolment or correction. The official list of absent and shifted voters has been published on the CEO Maharashtra website, ceoelection.maharashtra.gov.in, for public verification.