Rahul Gandhi accuses Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of treason over voter list revision

Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of committing "treason" by using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to manipulate voter lists.

In a sharp escalation of the opposition's campaign against the election machinery, the Congress leader claimed that millions of voters are being systematically deleted from the rolls through automated software. Gandhi demanded that the Chief Election Commissioner resign and become an "approver" in a formal investigation against the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.

The Belagavi Form 7 row

The latest dispute centres on claims of voter deletion in Belagavi, Karnataka. Gandhi alleged that a coordinated plot was underway to wipe out nearly 15,000 voters, focusing specifically on Muslim, Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities.

According to Gandhi, automated systems were used to submit a flood of Form 7 applications—the form used to object to a name on the electoral roll—over just three days in late September. He claimed that booth-level officers were pressured to sign these forms to remove valid voters.

"Select people are targeted as the BJP and EC officials collude to fill out Form 7 in bulk through automated means," Gandhi said, adding that the operation is "controlled from the top."

This political row follows reports that internal divisions have emerged within the Election Commission itself. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly objected on record 14 times over 10 months to decisions made regarding the SIR, arguing they were kept in the dark. The Election Commission has defended its procedures, stating that internal debates are normal and that all orders have full legal backing.

The broader opposition INDIA bloc has rallied behind the issue, planning a march to the Election Commission office on October 6 and seeking a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu.

BJP hits back with Karnataka paper leak

The BJP quickly responded by accusing Gandhi of hypocrisy, pointing to an ongoing recruitment scandal in Congress-ruled Karnataka.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra questioned Gandhi's silence over the Veterinary Officers Recruitment Examination leak. Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department and the Enforcement Directorate allege that Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, an IAS officer and former KPSC controller of examinations, helped leak the paper. At least 11 candidates allegedly paid ₹1.52 crore for the leaked papers.

Patra also raised the issue of a ₹22-lakh diamond necklace recovered during the money laundering probe. "Who has the ₹22-lakh necklace? Who was it gifted to?" Patra asked, targeting the Congress leadership.

The BJP criticised the Karnataka government's decision to appeal to the Supreme Court against a High Court order establishing a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the exam. Patra asked why Congress opposes independent inquiries in states where it governs while demanding them elsewhere.

Demanding accountability in Madhya Pradesh

As the row intensified, Gandhi visited Jagla village in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh to meet tribal families who lost children to recent outbreaks of disease and malnutrition.

Local activists estimate that up to 30 children died in August, though the state health department puts the death toll at eight. Gandhi called the situation a "100 per cent government failure" and promised to raise the plight of tribal communities in Parliament.

Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla dismissed Gandhi’s visit as "political tourism," arguing that the state government had already responded by setting up new health centres and deploying welfare officers.