Mayawati holds key meet, reviews voter lists for UP, Punjab polls

BSP chief Mayawati held a meeting reviewing voter lists and candidate selection for UP and Punjab polls. The party noted the alleged removal of 9 lakh voters and slammed the Uttarakhand BJP government's policies.

BSP Reviews Election Preparations for UP and Punjab

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) National President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday held a meeting with senior officials of BSP Uttarakhand State, in which the party said that she conducted an in-depth review of the latest status of the voter list following the Election Commission's SIR revision, along with the progress in selecting strong and effective party candidates for the upcoming Assembly General Elections in UP and Punjab, as well as other election preparations.

According to a release from the party shared by Mayawati, in this meeting held at the BSP Central Camp Office, a review was conducted on the status of reorganising committees up to the polling booth level following the SIR of the voter list, to be completed at a war footing, and instructions were given to address the shortcomings in a time-bound manner. In the release, following the SIR, the names of approximately 9 lakh voters have been allegedly removed from the voter list, but efforts must certainly continue at the party level to include the names of the poor, youth, women, and people from weaker sections in the voter list so that they are not deprived of their constitutional right to vote.

BSP Slams Uttarakhand Government's Policies

"In the meeting, while strongly condemning the Uttarakhand government's particularly anti-poor and anti-people policies, it was stated that the BJP government appears more devoted to the interests of big capitalists and wealthy industrialists, giving less attention to public welfare and well-being, and these people continue to influence elections in their favour through their financial power, which is also a key election issue," the release said.

Kanshi Ram's Death Anniversary Commemoration Plans Altered

According to the release, Mayawati said that while the government's maintenance work continues at the grand 'Bahujan Inspiration Centre' established by the BSP government on the UP-Delhi border, to avoid the possibility of any accidents due to crowds gathering there, no programs are being organised at that location this year on October 9, which is the death anniversary of Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram. "Therefore, people from all divisions across the entire UP will come to the capital Lucknow and offer their floral tributes at the grand dome-shaped 'Revered Shri Kanshi Ram Ji Memorial Site' here, while people from other states will organise open zonal meetings to pay their heartfelt tributes and respectful homage to the revered Shri Kanshi Ram Ji," the release said.

Meeting Amidst Election Commission Controversy

Mayawati's meeting comes in the backdrop of a national controversy surrounding the Election Commission's functioning and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after Indian Express reported last month that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections on at least 14 separate occasions over 10 months regarding decisions on electoral rolls, voter registration, and technology systems. These reported concerns pertained to Form 6 submissions, voter deletions, and access to the central electoral-roll databases.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) later rejected claims of institutional dissent and stated that administrative queries, operational inputs, and suggestions during draft stages are standard practice. The poll panel emphasised that all final decisions regarding the SIR schedule were taken unanimously. The INDIA bloc is stepping up its nationwide campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner and the commission's handling of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have planned a series of demonstrations, including a coordinated protest on October 6 and a major rally in New Delhi on November 1. (ANI)

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