Amid escalating Opposition attacks over alleged vote theft in Bihar’s electoral rolls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has mounted a combative defence of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Rejecting the phrase “vote chori” as an attempt to defame the Constitution, he said such claims must be backed with hard evidence, not political rhetoric.
In a pointed reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has spearheaded the charge of large-scale voter deletion, Kumar said:
“He has to give an affidavit or apologise to the public. If we don’t get anything in seven days, then it shows all allegations were false.”
The remarks mark an unusual public demand from the country’s top election official directed at a political leader, underscoring the intensity of the standoff.
Neutrality and focus on new voters
“For the Election Commission there is no opposition and no ruling party. The Commission stands with neutrality and vigilance," Kumar said, seeking to underline the Commission’s impartiality.
He also appealed to young voters to register in time, noting that 10,703 first-time voters in Bihar had already applied, alongside over 28,000 claims and objections on the draft rolls.
Bihar SIR and the uproar
The controversy is centred around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. Opposition leaders alleged that lakhs of names were struck off arbitrarily. Kumar insisted the exercise was routine.
“More than ten intensive revisions have taken place across India. People migrate for work, rolls must reflect this.”
He added that in Bihar, 7.9 crore enumeration forms were distributed, and 7.24 crore forms were returned within 30 days. Booth-level officers certified the draft rolls, which remain open for objections until September 1.
“After this cut-off, no allegations of manipulation can be entertained. Political parties should come forward now, not later,” he warned.
No formal complaints filed
Despite the uproar, the CEC has said that no formal objections had been filed by political parties since August 1.
“Anyone raising allegations has to give an affidavit. Without evidence, one cannot level sweeping claims,” he said, reiterating that the Representation of the People Act prescribes clear timelines for raising disputes.
Voter privacy vs transparency
The CEC also pushed back against demands for machine-readable rolls, citing the Supreme Court’s 2019 order that warned of voter privacy breaches.
“Can we release CCTV footage of citizens to anyone? Photos of voters are being used without permission,” he asked.
Kumar said the ECI had already corrected over three lakh duplicate EPIC number cases across various states and continues to update rolls.
Dead voters and migrant updates
Responding to allegations of inflated rolls, Kumar said that 22 lakh deceased voters were removed in recent updates, but many deaths often went unreported to local officers.
“This is the shared responsibility of voters, political parties, and officials,” he stressed. On the sensitive issue of illegal Bangladeshi voters, he said such names would be struck off if found, while a decision on West Bengal will follow “in the coming days".
Extraordinary outreach
To highlight its commitment, Kumar cited instances where officials trekked for two days in Gujarat's Gir to register a solitary mahant (saint) or travelled to remote villages in Arunachal Pradesh to enrol a single voter.
“We want to ensure every voter gets the right to vote,” he said.
By singling out Rahul Gandhi and demanding either an affidavit or an apology, the EC has significantly raised the stakes in its tussle with the Opposition.
While the Commission’s reliance on procedure and timelines carries legal weight, the perception battle is equally critical.
Gandhi’s charge of “vote theft” resonates politically, even if unproven, and the EC’s aggressive rebuttal indicates the institution is determined not to let its credibility be eroded.
