{
  "id": 4891944,
  "title": "Votes being added, deleted to make BJP win, says Congress citing Maharashtra, Delhi SIR",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/votes-being-added-deleted-to-make-bjp-win-says-congress-citing",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T16:27:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/votes-being-added-deleted-to-make-bjp-win-says-congress-citing-maharashtra-delhi-sir/article71415541.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Congress party has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of manipulating electoral rolls in an attempt to secure a victory in upcoming elections. This allegation comes in the wake of Maharashtra's draft electoral rolls, which revealed that 2.06 crore (2.6 million) names were removed during the special intensive revision (SIR) process. The deletions constitute the largest number of votes removed from any state during this phase of the revision.\n\nCongress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have called for investigations into the alleged voter roll manipulation. Gandhi pointed out that the BJP has a history of changing tactics to ensure victory, stating that the party's goal is to \"steal\" votes and undermine India's democracy. Kharge noted that similar tactics were being used in West Bengal, Delhi, Telangana, and Karnataka, where Congress workers have reported voter rolls being altered multiple times during election processes.\n\nBoth leaders emphasized that the Election Commission, instead of safeguarding fair elections, seems to be aiding the BJP's efforts to \"steal\" votes. They urged the public to stand against this \"vote theft\" conspiracy and called for accountability from those who hold power.",
  "summary": "Congress said that in West Bengal, 91% of the voter names struck off in the SIR had to be reinstated after appeals",
  "key_points": [
    "Congress accuses BJP of manipulating electoral rolls to win elections.",
    "2.06 crore (2.6 million) names removed from Maharashtra's draft rolls.",
    "Congress demands investigations into voter roll manipulation."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}