Yogendra Yadav calls EC presser a ‘sham’, flags 10 unanswered concerns

Activist Yogendra Yadav has accused the Election Commission of “empty talk and brazenness” after its press conference on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, claiming that the poll panel failed to address the key concerns raised by the Opposition.

Yadav was reacting to the Chief Election commissioner Gynaesh Kumar addressing a press conference in Delhi, where he defended the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar saying is aimed at removing all shortcomings in voter lists. While Kumar said the ECI does not discriminate among political parties, and both ruling and opposition parties are equal before the poll authority, he also blatantly ignored a host of questions posed, including those by journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

In a statement on X, Yadav said he had expected clear answers from the Commission but was instead met with evasive responses. He alleged that the briefing held on Sunday amounted to a “sham” and posed 10 specific questions that, according to him, remain unanswered.

The questions raised by Yadav are as follows:

• Why did the EC not consult political parties before undertaking SIR?

• Why was the ECI’s own guideline about not doing Intensive Revision in an election year violated in Bihar?

• Why such a hurry to hold SIR in Bihar without notice or preparation, in the midst of floods?

• How many electors were added during SIR (25 June–25 July) in Bihar?

• How many Enumeration Forms have been filed without any documents attached?

• How many forms have been marked “not recommended” by the BLO? On what basis?

• How many foreigners were detected on the existing rolls during SIR?

• Why was the format of electoral rolls changed after Rahul Gandhi’s press conference?

• Why has the EC not demanded an affidavit from Anurag Thakur?

• Why was no inquiry conducted on the basis of affidavits filed in the past (e.g. by SP).

Yadav argued that the commission’s refusal to provide clarity on these points undermines public trust in the integrity of the electoral process. His remarks come in the wake of mounting political criticism after leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged large-scale “vote theft” in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and questioned the credibility of the SIR exercise in Bihar.