Political Row Over EC’s Special Voter Roll Revision Intensifies

A day after a high-profile protest by Opposition MPs, the political confrontation over the Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls continued to escalate on Tuesday.

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reiterated his allegation that the EC was failing to uphold the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote.” Meanwhile, BJP IT cell chief and spokesperson Amit Malviya questioned Gandhi’s refusal to submit his claims to the EC under oath.

The Supreme Court also began a special hearing on the matter, with Justice Surya Kant noting that while Aadhaar could not serve as conclusive proof of identity, it may be used subject to verification.

Gandhi’s Allegations of ‘Vote Theft’

Last week, Gandhi launched a campaign accusing the EC, in alleged collusion with the BJP, of facilitating “vote chori” (vote theft). He cited examples of duplicate voters, entries with invalid addresses or photographs, bulk voters registered under a single address, and misuse of Form 6 for new registrations. He claimed the SIR would disenfranchise large numbers of citizens—particularly minorities and other vulnerable groups—who may face difficulties producing stringent documentation.

On Tuesday, Gandhi responded to questions about 124-year-old Minta Devi, whose name appears on Bihar’s voter list and whose image was featured on T-shirts worn by Opposition MPs. “This is not an isolated case. It’s happening nationwide, systematically. The Election Commission knows it; we know it. We are defending the Constitution while the EC fails to enforce ‘one person, one vote.’ There are countless such cases, and we will continue to expose them. Picture abhi baaki hai (the story is not over),” he said.

EC Demands Proof Under Oath; BJP Calls Gandhi ‘Scared’

Chief electoral officers from several states, including Karnataka, have rejected Gandhi’s claims. The EC has formally asked Gandhi to file his allegations under oath in accordance with its rules or to issue a public apology. Under the EC’s format, he must declare whether he is an elector of the constituency concerned, affirm personal knowledge of the allegations, and confirm that his statement is voluntary.

Malviya accused Gandhi of avoiding an oath because a false declaration is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and giving false evidence is an offence under Section 227 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023—both carrying potential prison terms. “Reprimanded by the Supreme Court for false statements in the past, habitual offender Rahul Gandhi is clearly scared and does not believe in his own so-called investigation,” Malviya wrote on X.

Protests, Symbolism, and Supreme Court Scrutiny

On Monday, Opposition MPs, including Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, marched from Parliament to the EC headquarters in New Delhi, but were stopped by police barricades near Transport Bhawan and briefly detained. Many wore white T-shirts with the slogan “124 Not Out” in reference to Minta Devi’s voter record.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday began hearing multiple petitions challenging the EC’s decision to conduct the SIR in poll-bound Bihar. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing RJD leader Manoj Jha, alleged that the EC’s draft rolls contained glaring errors, such as living individuals marked as deceased and vice versa. Representing the EC, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi acknowledged minor inaccuracies but maintained these could be corrected, as the lists were still in draft form.

The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, directed the EC to be ready with data on the total number of voters before the SIR began, the number of deceased voters identified, and other relevant details.

On July 29, the Court stressed that the EC, as a constitutional body, must act lawfully, warning it would intervene if there was evidence of “mass exclusion” in Bihar’s rolls. The draft list was published on August 1, with the final roll due on September 30, amid Opposition fears that millions of eligible citizens could be stripped of their voting rights.

Earlier, on July 10, the Court had urged the EC to consider Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as valid identity documents while allowing the revision exercise to continue.