Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 17: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gynaesh Kumar on Sunday strongly defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, dismissing opposition charges of ‘vote theft’ and double voting as “baseless and misleading”.
Speaking at a press conference, Kumar expressed concern that certain political parties were “spreading misinformation” about the voter list exercise and “firing from the Election Commission’s shoulder”. He clarified that the SIR is a routine and legally mandated process aimed at removing shortcomings from electoral rolls ahead of elections.
“It is a matter of grave concern that some parties are spreading misinformation on SIR in Bihar. Some political leaders are firing from the Election Commission’s shoulder. The EC urges all parties to file claims and objections on the draft rolls — 15 days are still remaining,” Kumar said.
The CEC stressed that the exercise is being conducted in a transparent manner with the involvement of booth-level officers and agents of political parties. “Neither the Commission nor the voters are afraid of baseless allegations. The EC cannot discriminate between ruling and opposition parties; both are equal before the poll authority,” he added.
Rejecting the charge of haste, Kumar said migration and duplication of voter IDs had necessitated the revision. “More than one crore employees are engaged in the election process. Can ‘vote chori’ happen in such a transparent exercise?” he asked.
The comments came as the INDIA bloc launched its Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, accusing the EC of colluding with the ruling BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, addressing a gathering in Sasaram, alleged that the Commission was “stealing elections” by manipulating voter rolls and vowed that the Opposition would resist any “conspiracy” to tamper with the Bihar Assembly polls.
Kumar, however, maintained that the Commission’s “doors remain open for all stakeholders” and urged parties to participate constructively instead of questioning the credibility of the process.