Allegations levelled by the Uttar Pradesh Congress of large-scale voter fraud in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Parliamentary constituency Varanasi have been refuted by saints of the Ram Janaki Math temple, who say the claims are based on a misunderstanding of a religious tradition. An India Today ground report has revealed the truth.
The controversy began after the UP Congress posted on social media a voter list from the Kashmiriganj area of Varanasi’s Ward No. 51, claiming that over 50 people were registered as “sons” of a single man, Ramkamal Das.
“See another miracle of the Election Commission in Varanasi! 50 sons are recorded in the voter list in the name of a single person, ‘Ramkamal Das’! Youngest son Raghavendra – age 28 years, and eldest son Banwari Das – age 72 years! Will the Election Commission dismiss this discrepancy as just an error or will it accept that fraud is going on openly? This incident of vote theft is telling that not only the people of Banaras, but the entire democracy has been cheated. @ECISVEEP, when are you giving affidavit for this?” the UP Congress tweeted in Hindi.
The list in question, from the 2023 Municipal Corporation election roll, shows more than 50 voters living at address B 24/19, all naming Ramkamal Das as their father.
The ages listed include 13 people aged 37, five aged 39, four aged 40, others in their 40s, and two aged 72.
However, when India Today TV visited the ground, the address turned out to be not that of a residential home but of the Ram Janaki Math temple, established by Acharya Ramkamal Das.
The temple’s current manager, Rambharat Shastri, confirmed the list’s authenticity but clarified that it reflects the centuries-old Guru–Shishya tradition of Hindu monastic life.
“In our ashram, disciples who have renounced worldly life consider their Guru as their father,” Shastri explained. “When a person adopts the life of a sadhu, his worldly family ties are severed, and the Guru’s name is entered in place of the father’s name in all records”.
Senior disciple Abhiram said this practice is legally recognised. “In 2016, the Government of India allowed sadhus and sanyasis to use their Guru’s name instead of their biological father’s in official documents. This is neither fraud nor unconstitutional,” he said, adding that monasteries and ashrams are often dragged into political debates during election season.
To counter what they called “misrepresentation,” the saints performed a Buddhi Shuddhi Puja (ritual for purification of intellect) for those spreading misinformation.
National Organisation General Secretary of the All India Sant Samiti, Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, strongly criticised the Congress accusations, calling them “a conspiracy to defame Sanatan Hindu tradition and religious leaders”. He warned that the Sant Samiti would take legal action against attempts to malign their practices.
“This is an age-old tradition. The Aadhaar and voter IDs of Gurukul students, brahmacharis, and sadhus record the Guru’s name in place of the father’s. Without understanding this, political parties are spreading baseless allegations,” Swami Jitendranand said.
The clarification from the temple effectively undercuts the UP Congress claim of voter fraud at this address.
What the grand old party had presented as evidence of “50 sons of one father” is, in fact, a legitimate religious and legal custom in monastic life — one recognised by Indian law and followed by Hindu institutions across the country.
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With inputs by Roushan Kumar