'BJP will try to get fake voters enrolled now': Akhilesh as SIR sees 2.89 crore names deleted in state

Lucknow: As the BJP state leadership went into a huddle to discuss the possible impact of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttar Pradesh which saw removal of 2.89 crore voters from the draft electoral roll on its electoral prospects in the state, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that the saffron party was ‘worried’ over the large scale deletions and could try to get ‘fake’ voters enrolled in the list.

‘’BJP is worried over the deletions during the SIR…..it will now try to get fake voters enrolled in the list,’’ Akhilesh told reporters here.

The SP chief said that the large-scale deletions also showed that ‘bogus’ votes had been cast in the polls. ‘’Maximum deletions have taken place in booths having a BJP support base,’’ he claimed.

He also referred to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s reported remarks that names of four crore voters of BJP were struck off the rolls and that they (BJP) needed to get their voters enrolled.

‘’From where did he (CM) get this information? Election Commission obviously,’’ he said.

Meanwhile senior BJP leaders including Adityanath and state party president Pankaj Chaudhary, held a meeting with other leaders to discuss the draft electoral roll in the wake of deletions of 2.89 crore voters.

Sources said that Adityanth and Chaudhary expressed concern over the deletions and asked the party leaders to ensure that 200 new voters were enrolled at every polling booth.

The EC had on Tuesday published the draft electoral for Uttar Pradesh marking the completion of the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.

The names of as many as 2.89 crore voters have been struck off the electoral roll. The number of voters in the state now stood at 12.55 crore.