Last Updated on November 20, 2025 4:48 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
WEB DESK / NEW DELHI
Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday stirred a major controversy after she shared a recent photo of arrested of Bangladesh’s former poll commissioner in an election-manipulation case, calling it a sign of “things to come.” Her remark was widely seen as endorsing the INDIA bloc’s charge that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is “colluding with the ruling BJP to rig elections.”
The BJP hit back sharply. Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Moitra of “speaking like an enemy of the country,” questioning whether she was equating India’s democracy with Bangladesh. He recalled earlier remarks by RJD leaders and Rahul Gandhi that, according to him, undermined democratic institutions.
Meanwhile, the confrontation over the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise intensified. During a meeting with AICC office-bearers from 12 states and Union Territories, Rahul Gandhi criticised the ongoing voter roll revision. According to PTI-quoted sources, he urged Congress leaders to counter the SIR “politically, organisationally and legally.” He argued that while maintaining voter rolls is the Commission’s duty, the SIR appeared to be shifting responsibility onto political parties and could “lead to the removal of legitimate voters.”
Several Congress leaders echoed his apprehensions, reviving allegations of “vote-chori” and calling the SIR a “sinister attempt to destroy democracy.”
The Election Commission, however, reported significant progress, stating it has already distributed 50.25 crore enumeration forms, covering 98.54% of the 50.97 crore eligible voters across the 12 states and UTs. The first phase spans Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. Four of these—Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal—go to polls in 2026. Assam has also been approved for a special revision.
The second phase of SIR began on November 4 and will continue until December 4.
Rahul Gandhi has continued questioning recent electoral outcomes, calling the Bihar verdict “surprising” and alleging “vote chori on a gigantic scale.”