Congress Accuses Uttar Pradesh Voter List Revision of Targeting the Poor

Speaking from Lucknow on Sunday, former state Congress chief Ajay Rai warned that the so‑called Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is doing more than just cleaning up lists – it is, in his words, stripping the poorest of their franchise.

“Ask the common people and the poor; everyone is distressed,” Rai said, his tone mixing frustration with a hint of exasperation. He urged anyone who supports the revision to actually step into the slum settlements and see the ground reality for themselves.

According to Rai, dozens of names belonging to families living in cramped, makeshift colonies have already vanished from the official voter register. The impact, he claims, is a denial of a fundamental right for people already struggling to make ends meet.

Rai didn’t stop at the numbers. He hinted that the Chief Election Commissioner, who oversees the whole process, is “working under government pressure to some extent.” Whether that’s a genuine concern or political rhetoric, it certainly adds another layer of drama to an already contentious exercise.

The SIR, as the Election Commission frames it, is meant to tidy up the rolls – removing duplicates, dead entries and the like. But political parties, especially the Congress, fear it could become a tool for exclusion, leaving eligible voters on the sidelines.

Amid the controversy, the Congress has also been busy charting its own future in the state. Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Misra‑Mona said her priority is to honour the trust placed in her by party workers and the leadership, with an eye on the 2027 assembly elections.

“My primary duty is to live up to the trust placed in me,” Mona told reporters. She pledged to strengthen the INDIA alliance and highlighted the collective effort of senior leaders like Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi in safeguarding democracy.

Senior Congress MP Pramod Tiwari backed Mona’s leadership, noting her long‑standing association with the party – from a Panchayat member to a prominent MLA, and now the state president. “Under her leadership, she will bring Congress back to power,” he asserted confidently.

The party’s broader strategy appears to be rebuilding its organisational base while simultaneously voicing concerns over any process that could disenfranchise the vulnerable. Whether these warnings will translate into tangible changes to the voter‑list revision remains to be seen, but the debate has certainly ignited a fresh wave of political fervour ahead of the 2027 polls.