EC Not Scared Of Vote Chori Allegations: CEC
Some parties spreading misinformation on SIR; the CEC rejects as baseless the allegations of double voting and "vote theft" and asserted that all stakeholders are working to make SIR a success in a transparent manner
By : Vineeta Pandey
Update: 2025-08-17 10:34 GMT
New Delhi, Patna: Countering Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s charges, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar dismissed them as “mere political statements without proof” and dared him to furnish evidence of “vote chori” within seven days or apologise. “If you think a PowerPoint presentation with flawed analysis can prove wrongdoing, you are mistaken. Give evidence on oath or apologise to the nation,” he said.
The CEC explained that duplicate entries in voter rolls do not necessarily mean multiple voting, adding that Booth Level Agents of political parties are involved at every stage of voter roll preparation. He also clarified that the “House No. 0” entries relate to voters without numbered houses or proper addresses, and that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was being undertaken to correct such errors. On the deletion of 65 lakh names during the SIR in Bihar, he said lists had been posted on district websites within 56 hours of Supreme Court directions.
Visibly unhappy, the Congress hit back, accusing the ECI of behaving like a political party. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The LoP simply cited facts from the ECI’s own data. The Commission has exposed itself for incompetence and blatant partisanship.”
The Congress also termed as “laughable” the claims made by the EC that it makes no distinction between the ruling party and the Opposition.
”Today, a short while after Shri Rahul Gandhi launched the I.N.D.I.A. janbandhan's Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram, the CEC and his two ECs began by saying they make no distinction between the ruling party and the Opposition.
“This is laughable, to put it very mildly, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary. Notably, the CEC answered none of the pointed questions raised by Shri Rahul Gandhi meaningfully,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
In another post, Ramesh said, “Simple advice to the CEC: investigate, don't intimidate”.