BJP, Election Commission manipulating lists, attacking democracy: Haryana’s ex CM
Gurugram: Former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said the BJP and Election Commission are jointly manipulating the electoral process and “attacking democracy” through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing Congress leaders and workers in Gurugram after a training session on SIR, Hooda said evidence of manipulation had emerged from Haryana election results, where voter turnout figures increased for three days after polling ended. He added that voter list tampering through SIR was also exposed during West Bengal elections.
Hooda said Congress’s objective is clear: “no fake votes should be added, and no genuine voter should be removed”. Party leaders and workers are actively verifying electoral rolls across the state to identify fake entries and ensure eligible voters are registered.
Targeting the BJP government, Hooda cited central reports showing Haryana lagging in nearly every sector — ranking 16th in Happiness Index, 14th in SDG and Fiscal Health Index, 11th in rural development, and 6th in corruption cases with a 187% rise in 3 years. He said state debt has jumped from Rs 60,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 5.5 lakh crore, while 1,446 factories have shut or relocated since 2018-19, causing a 12.2% decline in industry.
