‘Insult To India’s Constitution’: ECI Slams ‘Vote Theft’ Allegations In Bihar SIR
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday launched a blistering attack against allegations of “vote theft” in the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar calling the accusations a direct insult to the Indian Constitution and affirming that neither the commission nor the voters are afraid of “petty politics.”
The poll body’s forceful rebuttal came in response to claims from several opposition parties that there was a concerted effort, in collusion with the BJP, to manipulate the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls by unfairly adding and deleting names from the electoral rolls under the SIR program.
The Chief Election Commissioner clarified that the revision was initiated because almost all political parties had demanded corrections to the voter list, highlighting that a draft list was jointly prepared with the help of 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by the political parties themselves.
“It is a matter of serious concern that these verified documents, testimonials of the district presidents of political parties and the BLOs nominated by political parties are either not reaching their own state level or national level leaders, or an attempt is being made to spread confusion by ignoring the ground reality,” Kumar stated, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the process.
He added that no questions could be raised about the ECI’s credibility, which he said is backed by over 7 crore voters in Bihar. Driving home his point, Kumar questioned the opposition’s methods, asking, “According to the law, if errors in the voter lists are not corrected in time, if an election petition is not filed in the Hon’ble High Court within 45 days of a voter choosing their candidate, and instead misleading words like ‘vote theft’ are used in a failed attempt to misguide the public, then what is this if not an insult to the Constitution of India?”
The remarks appeared to be a direct response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had recently held an explosive press conference levelling “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations against the ECI and the Centre. Kumar referenced the event, noting that photos of several voters were presented to the media without their consent.
“Should the Election Commission share the CCTV videos of any voter, including their mothers, daughters-in-law, or daughters?” he questioned rhetorically. The commissioner asserted that the ECI would continue to stand fearlessly like a rock with all voters, without discrimination.
This latest confrontation follows a series of tense exchanges after Gandhi cited an internal Congress analysis to claim the party was deprived of seats in the Karnataka Lok Sabha elections, prompting the ECI to demand he submit proof or issue a public apology for his allegations.
