ECI cannot relinquish its Constitutional duty and evade genuine queries: Kharge

Opposition leaders on Monday, 18 August, mounted sharp criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging large-scale irregularities in the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in several states. They accused the poll body of undermining democratic rights and demanded accountability.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Election Commission of India (ECI) cannot “relinquish its constitutional duty and evade genuine queries” raised by political parties.

“The right to vote is the most important right granted by our Constitution. INDIA bloc will resist any attempt to stifle democracy,” he asserted.

Kharge said the ECI cannot abdicate its constitutional responsibility or ignore legitimate concerns raised by political parties.

The ECI held a much-awaited press conference yesterday, 17 August, that left many activists and political leaders with more questions than answers, including several of the leading petitioners against the Bihar special intensive revision (SIR) exercise. Academic and activist Yogendra Yadav posted 10 questions on his X handle in response, while Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra spoke scathingly as well, asking CEC Gyanesh Kumar not to equate the average citizen's IQ with that of "the BJP cadre".

Echoing the concerns, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera cited by way of example the anomalies in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls last year.

“The ECI wants us to believe that in just six months between the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the upcoming assembly elections, close to 40 per cent of voters either died or permanently migrated in Ramtek and Devlali constituencies, while nearly 45 per cent suddenly became eligible in Nashik West and Hingna. Next, they will claim 2+2=420,” he posted on X.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on 17 August, Sunday, launched the Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram in Bihar, accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to delete genuine voters’ names through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav distributed affidavits to journalists, recalling that the party had submitted 18,000 affidavits after the 2022 assembly elections flagging discrepancies, but “not a single action was taken by the Commission”. The ECI has been on record through the Bihar SIR and the hearing around it at the Supreme Court, claiming no political parties had brought any complaints, as it seemed to deem the exercise successful and fair.

Meanwhile, Moitra turned the ECI’s questions on the Opposition’s bona fides and credibility back at the chief election commissioner: “Can you testify under oath that previous summary revisions were correct? If they were, then today’s Bihar list is false. If today’s is correct, then your earlier revisions stand discredited,” she said.

The Opposition has been alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in states like Bihar is being misused to delete genuine voters from the rolls, particularly from disadvantaged communities, while offering alleged evidence of the addition of new names and transfer of voters en masse in suspicious numbers (from Gujarat to Bihar, for instance) and instances of voter fraud as well in Goa, in Bihar and in Bengaluru, both in past elections and ongoing electoral processes.

The ECI has yet to issue a detailed response to these allegations, despite its much-vaunted press conference yesterday.