"BJP trying to cut votes of poor, backward, Dalits and tribals through SIR": Sachin Pilot

Tonk (Rajasthan) [India], November 30 (ANI): Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday slammed the BJP government and raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision process, questioning how many infiltrators have actually been removed in the last 11 years.
He alleged that the SIR process is being used to cut the votes of the poor, backward communities, Dalits and tribals.
"This visit is important because the Election Commission has set a deadline to fill all forms before the 4th. They want to complete SIR here quickly, just like they did in Bihar. But here we are taking diligent action, and I've always seen BJP leaders, the Home Minister, and the Prime Minister say that it's important to expel infiltrators. If an infiltrator is living in the country illegally, expel him. But tell me, how many infiltrators has the Indian government expelled in the last 11 years?" Pilot told reporters.
"When elections come, they name infiltrators, but whose votes are they ultimately trying to cut? The poor, the backward, the Dalits, the tribals. The Constitution has given these people rights, and if their names are deleted, there's no greater sin in democracy. We must work diligently to ensure that no one over 18 who has the right to vote is deprived," he added.
Pilot also raised the issue of BLO's suicide during the ongoing SIR process and asserted that the work should be done impartially.
"Many BLOs are committing suicide. There must be a lot of mental pressure on them. That's why I say that work should be done impartially," added Pilot.
Earlier, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien launched an attack on the Election Commission of India, accusing it of dodging key questions raised by the TMC delegation during Friday's meeting on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and asking the poll panel to release the full transcript of the discussion.
"At the end of the meeting (with the Election Commission), I said this on record, that you spoke for 50 or 55 minutes, but you have not answered one of our five questions... Why don't you (the Election Commission) release the transcript of yesterday's meeting? You are accusing an entire delegation of elected MPs of the All India Trinamool Congress under the chairmanship of Mamata Banerjee and the National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee," he claimed.
Besides Sachin Pilot and Derek O Brien, many Opposition leaders have raised questions over the conduct of the SIR process.
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that employees of the Election Commission of India are being pressured to complete the SIR process, questioning, "What is the hurry?" He further claimed that people in West Bengal are also raising complaints about the process.
Citing the death of a supervisor in Fatehpur, who allegedly died due to the pressures of the SIR process, the Samajwadi Party Chief, in a press conference, questioned, "Who is going to help the Election Commission employees who are dying during the SIR process?" He further asserted that the ECI should step forward and support the officers.
The Election Commission of India is conducting the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, with the final voter list scheduled to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase of SIR was completed in Bihar in September ahead of the Assembly elections. The exercise covers Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. (ANI)