Key Points

Without naming any party, the CEC indirectly responded to the Opposition's claims that the ECI was colluding with the ruling BJP. “When politics is being done by targeting the voters of India by keeping a gun on the shoulder of the Election Commission, today the Election Commission wants to make it clear that it fearlessly stands like a rock with all voters – poor, rich, elderly, women, youth, and of every religion – without any discrimination,” Gyanesh Kumar said at a press conference in Delhi.

The CEC underlined that the doors of the Commission remain open for all parties. “At the ground level, all voters, political parties, and booth-level officers are working together in a transparent manner, verifying and signing lists, and even giving video testimonials. It is a matter of serious concern that these verified documents and testimonials are either not reaching the state or national level leaders of the same parties, or an attempt is being made to spread confusion by ignoring the ground reality,” he added.

Providing statistics, Gyanesh Kumar said that in Bihar alone, over 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of all recognised parties have jointly prepared the draft lists during the SIR exercise. “A total of 28,370 claims and objections have already been filed by voters who turned 18 on July 1 or will turn 18 by October 1,” he noted.

The CEC said that with over seven crore voters in Bihar participating, the credibility of neither the Election Commission nor the voters could be questioned. He warned against irresponsible remarks such as “vote theft,” calling them an insult to the Constitution.

Responding to allegations of double voting and data misuse, Gyanesh Kumar reminded that in the Lok Sabha elections alone, “more than one crore officials, 10 lakh booth-level agents, and 20 lakh polling agents of candidates” oversaw the process, making any malpractice impossible.

He also condemned recent instances where voter photos were displayed in the media without consent, calling it a breach of privacy.

The CEC was indirectly referring to Rahul Gandhi, who, on August 7, gave a detailed presentation on the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka and claimed that nearly one lakh votes were manipulated. Gandhi even showed the photos of the voters along with their residential details.

Reiterating the Commission’s constitutional duty, the CEC said: “For the Election Commission, there is neither any opposition nor any ruling party. All are equal before us.”

- IANS