Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 30 (ANI): Hitting back at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Minister Swatantra Dev Singh on Saturday accused him of politicising sensitive issues and spreading lies about vote theft.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said, 'Akhilesh Yadav should be ashamed. He tries to politicise even sensitive incidents. His politics is negative.'

He asserted that the statewide verification work by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had been completed thoroughly. 'More than 3,100 BLOs across the state have completed 100 per cent of their work. This is enough to prove the lies of the SP and Akhilesh Yadav. The SIR process is completely transparent,' he said.

Alleging that the SP fears the removal of fraudulent entries from the voter list, the minister added, 'Akhilesh Yadav's problem is that his fake vote bank will be exposed as soon as the clean voter list is prepared. To save his dwindling support base, he spreads lies about vote theft and democracy being in danger.'

He further said that the SP's politics has 'always been about protecting infiltrators and fake voters,' adding that the party's 'business will close down if fake voting ends.'

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.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate alleged the deaths of '26 BLOs' due to SIR deaths in 20 days, calling it a murder in broad daylight.'Every child knows that the SIRs are being conducted across the country, and the way 25 and now 26 BLOs have died in 20 days is like murder in broad daylight. What's the hurry? Take some time and conduct the SIR. The family of Vipin Yadav, the BLO in Gonda who committed suicide by consuming poison, says he was under pressure to remove the names of backward class members from the voter list,' said Shrinate.

Additonally, Shrinate also slammed the Election Commission, saying, 'Because of SIR, 26 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have died in 20 days. This is not some narrative but a harsh truth before the nation. Where is Gyanesh Gupta?

The list of local body election candidates in Maharashtra has been released, showing the addresses of 200 people registered at two coaching institutes where even a bird can't sit. Because of Rahul Gandhi, this country has received evidence and proof of vote theft, and neither Gyanesh Gupta nor the BJP has a single answer to those proofs.'The Election Commission of India will conduct 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)