Samajwadi Party (SP) National President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hatching a “deep conspiracy” to remove more than one crore voters from the electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh by misusing Form-7 under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Addressing a press conference at the SP state headquarters in Lucknow, Akhilesh alleged that the BJP was preparing to delete the names of voters belonging to the PDA community—Pichhda (Backward Classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities), particularly Muslims—on the basis of fake complaints submitted through illegally printed Form-7 documents.
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He claimed that constituency-wise voter lists had been circulated through pen drives in the form of Excel sheets and asserted that a plan was underway to remove around 1 crore 99 thousand 710 voters from the rolls. “The vote is the biggest weapon in a democracy. The Election Commission of India must ensure a fair and transparent process,” he said.
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Akhilesh Yadav said complaints related to Form-7 were pouring in from across the state, forcing him to leave the ongoing Lok Sabha session and return to Lucknow to address the issue. Reiterating his charge, he remarked that if the Election Commission failed to act impartially, it should “hoist the BJP flag on its building.”
Displaying a large number of filled Form-7 forms before the media, the SP chief demanded strict verification measures. He said that downloaded forms must be properly verified, every physical Form-7 should carry the Election Commission’s hologram, and CCTV footage of Form-7 submissions should be examined. He also called for action under the Representation of the People Act against anyone found guilty.
The SP leader alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission, claiming that a senior IAS officer posted in the Chief Minister’s Office was pressuring Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates to delete the names of PDA voters, especially Muslims, from the electoral rolls. “When the same administration is in power, where will people get justice,” he asked.
Raising specific instances, Akhilesh Yadav referred to Sultanpur, where the vote of a Muslim Booth Level Officer (BLO) was allegedly removed. He also claimed that when voters demanded the electoral rolls after discovering their names missing, they were misleadingly shown lists of the State Election Commission instead of the Election Commission of India.
Former MLA Yogesh Verma, who was present at the press conference, said that the pen drive contained complete details of affected voters. He claimed that 6,321 votes had been removed from the voter list in the Colonelganj Assembly constituency alone.
Citing more examples, Akhilesh Yadav said that in Lucknow’s Sarojini Nagar constituency, over 100 Form-7 applications were filed in the name of a single complainant, Dashrath. Similarly, in Jaisinghpur constituency, multiple complaints were filed in the name of one Nandlal. “The entire form is filled in English, while Nandlal is illiterate and uses a thumb impression. Yet, there is a signature on the form,” he said, terming it clear evidence of forgery.
The SP president alleged that ever since the BJP’s setback in the Lok Sabha elections, it had begun preparing to delete the names of Muslim voters who support the Samajwadi Party. “A power-hungry BJP can go to any extent,” he alleged.
Appealing to PDA voters, Akhilesh Yadav urged them to gather documentary evidence and deploy volunteers at every polling booth. “Not a single vote should be removed,” he said.
He also issued a strong warning, stating that if people’s names were deleted from the voter list, it could later be used to deny them government welfare schemes, evict them from their homes, or even question their citizenship. “People must remain alert and cautious,” he added.
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