The issue is concentrated in two constituencies: Indore-1, represented by Union Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, and Indore-5, represented by MLA Mahendra Hardia. Election experts have flagged these entries as difficult to verify, with many believing the names could represent fake voters.
In Indore-1’s Nandbagh Sector-B and Indore-5’s Prince Nagar (Ward-39), voter lists show ‘zero’ in place of actual home addresses. Ground verification by journalists revealed that residents had no knowledge of the individuals listed. Mohammed Shabbir Khan of Prince Colony, Khajrana, said, “There is no house numbered zero. I have lived here since 1996.” Similar claims were echoed by other long-term residents.
Congress leaders have condemned the discovery, calling it a “large-scale voter scam” and linking it to the sudden addition of nearly 20 lakh voters in Madhya Pradesh in 2023. Congress Councillor Rubina Iqbal Khan stated that the party will approach Rahul Gandhi and verify municipal property tax records to investigate the matter. Former councillor Dilip Kaushal alleged that such fake voter entries may have influenced election outcomes in 27 constituencies.
RTI activist Ravi Gurnani highlighted the opacity surrounding these additions. He said the Election Commission did not make the names public or upload the data online, complicating verification during the ongoing SIR.
The Election Commission, while updating the electoral rolls in 2023, reportedly added over 20 lakh voters, triggering scrutiny over procedural transparency. With the SIR underway, both political parties and civil society are closely monitoring the process to ensure the integrity of voter records in the state.
