88,000 ‘infiltrators sent back’ during 10-year UPA regime, claims Digvijaya Singh

Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Saturday (November 8, 2025) claimed that the UPA government had sent back 88,000 “infiltrators” during its 10-year tenure at the Centre while the Union government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had only found 2,400 people in 11 years, as he criticised the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference in Bhopal, Mr. Singh said, “The BJP talks about infiltrators during the Bihar [Assembly] election. But what is the reality? During the UPA regime between 2004 and 2014, about 88,000 such people who were not Indian citizens were moved out of the country. But in the 11 years, the BJP has only been able to find 2,400 infiltrators.”

“This means that they have only found less than 3% of what we had found during the UPA regime,” Mr. Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, said, adding that Madhya Pradesh is among 12 States and Union Territories where the Election Commission (EC) started the second phase of the SIR from November 4.

Mr. Singh said that casting their vote is every citizen’s right and it was for the poll body to ensure that their name is in the voter list.

“This responsibility is on the Election Commission and not on the citizens. But now with the new rules of the SIR that are different from the rules of 2003, the citizens are being asked to prove their citizenship. Earlier, the booth level officers (BLOs) used to fill out the forms but now the people are being asked to do so,” Mr. Singh said.

“In 2003, documents like birth certificates, ration cards, and school certificates were sufficient, but now citizenship certificates are being demanded, which 99% of Indians do not have,” he added.

On RSS-linked officials

Earlier on Friday (November 7, 2025), a delegation of seven Opposition parties, including the Left parties and Samajwadi Party, met Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjeev Kumar Jha to demand that government officials and employees linked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) not be involved with the SIR process.

The delegation submitted a seven-point memorandum of demands to the CEO. The memorandum primarily calls for the removal of government employees and officials who attend RSS shakhas or are associated with the RSS, from the SIR process as their ideology and views are hostile towards minority communities and lower castes. “This has led to fears among these communities that they could be deprived of their right to vote,” a joint statement read.