Thu Nov 20 12:55:21 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and a news article rewrite based on the provided text:
Summary:
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale is accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) of colluding with the Modi government to commit “vote chori” (vote theft). Gokhale claims that UIDAI shared a list of deactivated Aadhaar numbers from West Bengal with the ECI, purportedly belonging to deceased individuals. He argues that this is suspicious because UIDAI had previously stated it does not maintain state-wise or reason-wise data on deactivated Aadhaar cards, raising questions about how they could identify 30-32 lakh deactivated Aadhaar cards specifically in West Bengal attributed to deaths. UIDAI responded that death records with Aadhaar numbers were shared by West Bengal’s Health and Family Welfare and Food and Supplies departments.
News Article:
Opposition MP Alleges Voter Roll Manipulation in West Bengal, Accuses ECI and UIDAI of Collusion
New Delhi – November 20, 2025 – A political firestorm is brewing after Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) of conspiring to manipulate voter rolls in West Bengal. Gokhale alleges that the UIDAI shared a list of deactivated Aadhaar numbers from the state with the ECI, claiming these belonged to deceased individuals, a move he believes is intended to disenfranchise voters.
Gokhale pointed to a previous statement from UIDAI stating it does not maintain state-wise or reason-wise data on deactivated Aadhaar cards. “How can the UIDAI now claim that there are 30-32 lakh deactivated Aadhaars specifically in West Bengal due to deaths, when they previously stated they don’t track data that way?” he questioned in a post on X.
The MP labeled the situation as another example of the ECI collaborating with the BJP to carry out large-scale deletion of voters.
The UIDAI responded via X, stating that it received death records with corresponding Aadhaar numbers from the West Bengal Health and Family Welfare department and the Food and Supplies department. They added that 32.8 lakh Aadhaars were deactivated based on the reported deaths.
The ECI has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the allegations. The accusations come amid ongoing efforts to revise and update electoral rolls ahead of future elections. The controversy is likely to intensify scrutiny of the voter registration process and raise concerns about the independence of the ECI.
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