‘Zero’-labelled voter addresses found in Vijayvargiya’s constituency:Indore records show non-existent homes ahead of SIR review; experts claim entries as fake voters

A major irregularity has surfaced in Indore and other parts of Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). More than 2,000 voters have been listed with ‘zero’ as their home address, and residents say no such houses exist. Congress leaders and activists call this a large-scale fake voter scam, linked to a sudden rise of nearly 20 lakh voters in 2023. The issue has triggered political tension, demands for investigations, and serious questions about voter records in the state. 2069 voters listed with ‘zero’ address In Indore, 2,069 voters are registered with a home address labelled ‘zero’. Most of these names are in two constituencies: This information has emerged just before the Election Commission begins its Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Experts say such entries are difficult to verify, and many believe these names are fake voters. See the list where ‘zero’ is written next to the home addresses – Congress plans to check property tax records Congress leaders say this discovery proves voter manipulation. They plan to check property tax records of all houses marked as ‘zero address’. Party workers say this will help identify how these names were added and who authorised them. Ground check shows no such people live there A list from Nandbagh Sector-B in Indore-1 shows voters with a ‘zero’ home address next to their names. Dainik Bhaskar visited these locations. Residents confirmed that no person with those names lives there. Another list from Prince Nagar, Ward-39 also shows ‘zero’ written against voters’ addresses. Locals again said that none of these people stay in the colony. Congress Councillor: “We will complain to Rahul Gandhi” Congress Councillor Rubina Iqbal Khan said the party has been raising the issue of fake voters for a long time. She called the zero-address entries a conspiracy by the Election Commission and the BJP. She said this helped the BJP form governments in Madhya Pradesh and other states. She plans to: She said Congress will monitor the SIR process closely. Residents say: “There is no house number zero” Residents of Prince Colony in Khajrana, Indore-5, shared their concerns. RTI Activist: “20 lakh new voters added in 2023” RTI activist Ravi Gurnani spoke about the challenges ahead. He said that around 20 lakh voters were added in Madhya Pradesh between January and December 2023. He claimed the Election Commission did not: Now, he says, these names will be difficult to verify in the SIR.He asked how the Commission will match figures and explain the sudden rise. Former Congress Councillor: “Fake votes changed the election result” Former councillor Dilip Kaushal said he has been raising concerns since 2018–19. He believes that if fake voters had not been added, a Congress government would have been formed. He said Congress teams will accompany BLOs during SIR checks. How the voter numbers changed: 4 key letters Letter 1: January 2023 The Election Commission stated that Madhya Pradesh had 5,39,87,876 voters across 230 assembly seats. Letter 2: April 2023 The Commission wrote to district collectors.It said that voter numbers had fallen unusually in several constituencies.Collectors were told to explain these reductions. Letter 3: June 2023 A new letter said that all applications under Forms 6, 7, and 8 received until 30 June would be updated.This included: The Commission also stated that this updated list must not be uploaded online or shared with anyone. Letter 4: August 2023 A fresh list was released.The number of voters had risen to 5,60,57,953. This means: Congress claims this sudden increase affected 27 seats, helping the BJP form the government.