Congress Exposes Systematic Voter Objections in Vadodara's Sayajigunj Constituency
In Vadodara, a significant controversy has erupted over alleged attempts to exclude thousands of voters from the electoral rolls in the Sayajigunj constituency. The opposition Congress party has raised serious concerns after discovering that a small group of individuals submitted objections against a massive number of voters during the Summary Revision of electoral rolls process.
Mass Objections Without Evidence
Congress functionaries conducted a detailed investigation that revealed startling findings. According to their gathered information, exactly 116 individuals submitted objections against the inclusion of 8,228 names in the electoral rolls. Each of these objectors used Form 7 to challenge multiple voters, creating what Congress describes as a coordinated effort to disenfranchise citizens.
Congress functionary Ami Ravat stated that the objections appeared to target voters from a specific community within the Sayajigunj constituency. More importantly, Ravat emphasized that none of the submitted Form 7 objections included any supporting evidence to justify why these voters should be excluded from the electoral list.
Violation of Electoral Procedures
Ravat has made formal representations to the district collector, highlighting several procedural violations:
- The voters in question had already been verified by booth-level officers during previous verification processes
- These voters were legitimately included in the electoral list following proper procedures
- Accepting Form 7 objections without any supporting evidence directly violates election rules and regulations
"There was a clear attempt to snatch the voting rights of these voters," Ravat alleged, pointing to what she described as a deliberate effort to disenfranchise legitimate voters.
Demand for Accountability and Legal Action
The Congress party has made several demands in response to these findings:
- Immediate action against the 116 individuals who submitted objections without evidence
- Disciplinary measures against election officials who accepted these objection forms
- Legal consequences for all parties involved in what they term as "voter suppression attempts"
Congress members have specifically noted that election officers who accept Form 7 objections without proper evidence can face imprisonment of up to two years under relevant election laws. They argue that this provision should be invoked against officials who processed these questionable objections.
Broader Implications for Electoral Integrity
This case raises important questions about electoral integrity in Vadodara and potentially other constituencies. The scale of objections - with 116 individuals challenging 8,228 voters - suggests either:
- A coordinated effort to manipulate voter lists
- Systematic abuse of the objection process
- Potential targeting of specific voter demographics
The Congress party maintains that such practices undermine democratic processes and must be addressed immediately to preserve public trust in electoral systems. They have called for a thorough investigation into how such large-scale objections without evidence were processed through official channels.
