The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday criticised opposition parties for raising concerns over electoral rolls belatedly, and announced a press conference on Sunday—timed with the launch of Congress’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in poll-bound Bihar.
The press briefing, scheduled for 3 p.m., will be addressed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners, and is expected to cover “recent issues and allegations” surrounding Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, is set to begin a 16-day yatra across the state to protest alleged voter fraud, citing the exclusion of nearly 6.5 million names from the rolls.
In a statement, the ECI said some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) had failed to examine draft rolls during the designated claims and objections period. “Had these issues been raised at the right time through the right channels, it would have enabled the concerned officials to correct the mistakes, if genuine, before those elections,” the commission noted.
The poll body emphasised that electoral rolls undergo annual summary revision with January 1 as the qualifying date. Draft rolls are published, followed by a claims and objections period during which voters and political parties can challenge inclusions or exclusions. Final rolls are published by January 31 each year.
Congress, however, has intensified its campaign, accusing the commission of colluding with the ruling party. Gandhi has repeatedly alleged “vote theft” in states including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana. Earlier this month, he claimed that more than 100,000 votes were “stolen” in Bangalore Central’s Mahadevapura assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha election—charges the commission dismissed, asking Gandhi to either provide a signed declaration under oath or apologise to the nation.
Reiterating its stance, the ECI said it welcomes scrutiny of rolls by all political parties and electors. “It will help local officials remove errors and purify the electoral rolls, which has always been the commission’s objective,” the statement read.
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