Congress and INDIA bloc raise questions on the Election Commission. Accusations of discrepancies in voter lists in Bihar and Karnataka. The opposition demands an answer and affidavit from the Commission. Controversy ongoing regarding transparency.
New Delhi: The opposition has leveled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India regarding the transparency of the election process and voter rights in the country. Leaders from the Congress and the INDIA bloc state that the Commission is not providing satisfactory answers to the questions raised by the opposition and is shirking its responsibilities. This dispute has further intensified concerning the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar and alleged manipulation of voter data.
Voter List and Manipulation Cases
The opposition held a press conference at the Constitution Club of India regarding the review of the voter list and data transparency in Bihar. On this occasion, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi alleged that discrepancies were found in the voter lists of Maharashtra and Karnataka, and the Election Commission is silent on issues such as the removal of video data. He stated that the Commission is working under officials who are not interested in investigating these allegations. Protecting voter rights is the responsibility of the Commission, but in this matter, it appears to be failing to fulfill this responsibility.
Reaction of SP MPs
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said that the Commission's claim that the opposition is making allegations without facts is incorrect. He stated that the opposition has repeatedly submitted complaints with affidavits, including the case of removing 18,000 voters from the voter list in 2022, but no action has been taken on it. This has raised questions about the impartiality of the Commission, and the opposition says that the continuous disregard of cases by the Commission is a serious challenge to democracy.
Statement of TMC and Mahua Moitra
TMC MP Mahua Moitra said that action should be taken against former Election Commissioners for fake voter lists and the current Lok Sabha should be dissolved immediately. She also said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had raised the issue of duplicate voter ID cards, but there has been no resolution so far. She believes that the transparency of the voter list is the foundation of democracy, and without it, public trust in the election process will be weakened.
Election Commission's Side
The Election Commission responded to all the allegations in a press conference on August 17. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that the allegations raised by Rahul Gandhi were presented with facts and arguments. He warned that if Rahul Gandhi does not submit an affidavit within seven days, his allegations will be considered baseless. The Commission also clarified that it is ensuring a fair and transparent process and is fully committed to protecting democracy.
