Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Congress party on Wednesday for its “vote chori” allegations, citing a speech by former Law Minister Kapil Sibal that he said exposed what Rijiju called the “bogus vote chori drama” of the opposition.
Rijiju posted a video on X in which Sibal, then Union Law Minister, addressed the Lok Sabha and explained the circumstances under which names can be deleted from electoral rolls. He listed three categories: a person shifting from one assembly constituency to another, a duplicate entry that must be cancelled, and death. Sibal also clarified that individuals whose names are wrongly removed can approach election officers to have their names reinstated.
In his post, Rijiju remarked, “I don’t like Kapil Sibal as he is always found to be protecting the corrupt, extremists & anti-social elements. For the first time, I like him because he has exposed the bogus vote chori drama of Congress party through his old speech in Parliament as Law Minister!” The comment came amid an ongoing political clash between the BJP and Congress over alleged voter deletions.
By highlighting Sibal’s parliamentary explanation, Rijiju sought to counter Congress’s claims that voters were being arbitrarily removed, arguing that deletions fall under established categories and that affected voters have a clear recourse to registration. The exchange occurs against a backdrop of opposition criticism of the Election Commission and calls for greater transparency in the electoral process.
