The political battle over Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll has intensified. While opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accuses the Election Commission and BJP of collusion, the BJP has hit back with serious allegations against the Congress and the Gandhi family.

BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya has claimed that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was registered as a voter in India before becoming an Indian citizen. According to Malviya, this entry in the electoral roll happened not once, but twice, without fulfilling basic citizenship requirements.

Allegation of Voter Registration Without Citizenship

In a post on social media platform X, Amit Malviya alleged that Sonia Gandhi’s inclusion in the voters’ list violated electoral laws. He wrote that her name was first added in 1980, three years before she legally became an Indian citizen. At that time, he claimed, she still held Italian citizenship.

Malviya further stated that her name was added to the list again in 1983, only a few months before she officially obtained Indian citizenship. He described this as a case of “blatant electoral malpractice.”

He also questioned why Sonia Gandhi accepted Indian citizenship 15 years after marrying Rajiv Gandhi, suggesting that the delay raised further concerns.

SIR Row and Rahul Gandhi’s Counterattack

The BJP’s claims come amid a heated political row over the ongoing SIR process in Bihar. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has accused the Election Commission of working in coordination with the BJP to manipulate voter rolls.

Last week, Rahul Gandhi launched a campaign against what he calls “voter theft.” He claimed that the SIR process was being used to disenfranchise certain groups, particularly minorities, who may face difficulties in producing strict documentation.

Rahul alleged that five main tactics were being used for manipulation: creating duplicate voters, adding voters with fake or invalid addresses, registering large numbers of voters at the same address, including voters with invalid photographs, and misusing new voter Form 6 applications.

Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations Against the Election Commission

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of failing to uphold the “one person, one vote” principle. He claimed that irregularities in the voter list amounted to “institutional theft.”

He warned that due to the SIR process, large numbers of citizens, especially from vulnerable communities, could lose their voting rights. He said many such people would struggle to meet the documentation requirements being enforced.

Details of the First Voter Registration in 1980

According to Malviya’s claims, Sonia Gandhi’s first inclusion in the voters’ list took place in 1980. At that time, she and her family were residing at 1, Safdarjung Road, the official residence of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Before this, the voters registered at that address included Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi.

The voter list for the New Delhi parliamentary constituency was revised with January 1, 1980, as the qualifying date. During this revision, Sonia Gandhi’s name was reportedly added at serial number 388 in the electoral roll for polling station number 145.

Removal and Re-entry in the Electoral Roll

Malviya alleges that following strong objections in 1982, Sonia Gandhi’s name was removed from the voters’ list. However, in 1983, the name was added again.

This re-entry, according to Malviya, occurred just months before she officially became an Indian citizen. He argues that this raised serious legal and ethical questions about the process followed.

Violation of Electoral Law, Says BJP

Malviya asserts that voter registration without Indian citizenship violates the Representation of the People Act, which clearly requires citizenship for electoral enrolment.

He claims that the initial entry in 1980 was a direct breach of this law. The subsequent re-entry in 1983, he says, compounded the violation. Malviya argues that these actions undermine the credibility of Congress’s current stance on voter list integrity.

Political Context of the Allegations

The timing of the BJP’s claims is significant, coming at a moment when the Congress is aggressively targeting the SIR process in Bihar. The BJP’s counterattack shifts attention from allegations against the Election Commission to questions about the Congress leadership’s own history with voter rolls.

The issue also connects to broader political narratives. The BJP has often accused the Congress of overlooking procedural norms for political gain, while the Congress has accused the BJP of using administrative processes to target minorities and opposition strongholds.

Congress Yet to Respond Officially

At the time of reporting, there has been no official response from Sonia Gandhi or the Congress party regarding Malviya’s allegations. However, Congress leaders have in the past dismissed similar accusations as politically motivated and irrelevant to current governance issues.

Given the politically charged atmosphere around the SIR process, the party’s response is likely to be closely watched.

Legal and Electoral Implications

If the claims made by Malviya are accurate, they could raise legal questions about historical compliance with voter registration laws. However, since the alleged incidents occurred over four decades ago, the practical consequences may be limited to political debate rather than legal action.

Nonetheless, the issue feeds into ongoing discussions about transparency, documentation, and the integrity of India’s electoral process.

Public Reaction and Media Coverage

The allegations have triggered sharp reactions on social media, with BJP supporters amplifying the claims and Congress supporters dismissing them as a diversionary tactic.

News channels and online platforms are extensively covering the exchange, linking it to the larger battle over the SIR process and the upcoming elections.

The dispute over Bihar’s voter list revision has now expanded into a debate over past electoral records of political leaders.

While the BJP frames its allegations as evidence of Congress’s hypocrisy on voter list integrity, the Congress continues to insist that the SIR process threatens democratic rights.

With the Election Commission under scrutiny and both sides trading accusations, the controversy is unlikely to fade soon. As elections approach, the issue of voter roll accuracy—and the politics around it—will remain a central talking point.