New Delhi: Stepping up his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has accused the poll panel of “vote theft” following the deletion of 727 voter names from a slum in the national capital.
During a visit to Bela Estate on the banks of the Yamuna River on Monday, the Congress MP interacted with local residents and raised serious concerns over the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. According to Gandhi, out of the 728 residents living in the settlement, only a single name remains on the electoral roll.
“728 people live in Bela Estate on the banks of the Yamuna. After SIR, only one name remains in the voter list — the other 727 names have been struck off,” Gandhi shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He highlighted that these residents have lived in the area for decades and had actively participated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls. He noted that although their homes were demolished in 2023, the residents never left the locality and continue to reside there.
In a video shared on his social media handles, Gandhi is seen speaking directly to the local Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) over the phone. He challenged the authorities on whether the lack of a formal housing structure could be used to strip vulnerable citizens of their constitutional voting rights.
“Having a house or not has no connection to the right to vote,” the Congress leader argued during his conversation. He further pointed out the contradiction in the poll panel’s actions, stating, “Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar himself has said that ‘House Number 0’ is for the homeless. Yet, 727 people’s names have been struck off.”
Labelling the mass deletion process as deeply flawed, Gandhi remarked, “This isn’t SIR — this is a method of vote theft.” He expressed dismay that the only democratic power possessed by the most marginalised sections of society is being snatched away. Taking a direct jab at the CEC and the underlying administrative machinery, he asserted, “Gyanesh Kumar will go. But the system that made him do this will also have to answer.”
The controversy surrounding the Bela Estate voters surfaces amid broader concerns regarding the ongoing electoral roll revision in Delhi. Following the recent SIR, notices have reportedly been issued to over 33 lakh voters in the national capital due to alleged discrepancies in their enumeration forms. The Election Commission of India is scheduled to publish the final updated voter list for Delhi on December 4.