Tripura Congress MLA accuses BJP of 'duplicating names' in voter lists, says misuse of SIR won’t be tolerated

Former Tripura minister and senior Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of misusing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process to manipulate voter lists for political benefit, warning Booth Level Officers. 

 

Speaking to Congress workers in Noagaon under the 6 Agartala Assembly Constituency on December 7, Roy Barman pointed to alleged irregularities in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Bihar, where he claimed voter rolls had been compromised through duplicate and fabricated entries. According to him, "one person's name appears in over 400 locations" in some states, with voter details allegedly duplicated or falsified on a large scale.

 

The senior Congress legislator made clear that while removing names of deceased individuals or foreign nationals from voter lists was acceptable, systematic manipulation would not be tolerated in Tripura. "We have no objection if the names of deceased individuals or foreign nationals are removed," he stated. "But what we have seen elsewhere—duplicated names, multiplied names, and false entries—will not be tolerated here."

 

Roy Barman directed his remarks particularly at Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the state, cautioning them against participating in any irregularities under political pressure. He emphasised that Tripura's small size and tightly-knit communities make concealing illegal activities difficult. "This is not a threat. But if anyone attempts such actions under the influence of the BJP, they will face strict legal and administrative consequences, including the possibility of losing their job and being publicly beaten," he said.

 

The former minister stressed that ultimate responsibility for maintaining electoral roll integrity rests with the Election Commission of India, whilst warning that attempts to manipulate voter lists to favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP would face strong opposition.

 

Roy Barman called on Congress workers to remain alert and prevent vote manipulation, describing the state government in stark terms. "This government is corrupt—a BJP government of the corrupt, by the corrupt, and for the corrupt," he said.

 

His comments reflect mounting tensions ahead of upcoming polls, with the Congress adopting an increasingly confrontational approach towards what it characterises as systematic abuse of administrative processes by the ruling party.