NEW DELHI: Batting aggressively on the front foot before the issue comes before the apex court on 28 July, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday presented his case offering a strong defence of the Election Commission’s push for a special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
“Should the Election Commission allow dead voters to be on the voter list?” asked a beleaguered Kumar, who has for most part of his tenure been occupied with fire-fighting as accusations of bias, continues to be piled upon the central poll panel by the Opposition.
The CEC defended the Election Commission’s push for a special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
“Should the Election Commission allow dead voters to be on the voter list?” asked Kumar, who has for most part of his tenure been occupied with fire-fighting as accusations of bias, continues to be piled upon the central poll panel by the Opposition.
Should people with duplicate EPICs be allowed? Should foreigners be allowed on the voter list? What is the objection about?” the CEC said, emphasising that a sacrosanct voter list is the foundation of a successful democracy.
The chief election commissioner stressed the EC’s responsibility was to prepare a fool-proof, sanitised electoral rolls for every election.
“Isn’t the pure electoral roll being prepared by the Election Commission through a transparent process, a foundation stone for fair elections and a strong democracy?” he asked. “On these questions, someday or the other, all of us and all the citizens of India will have to think deeply, going beyond political ideologies.”
The Chief Election Commissioner’s remarks came at a time when the Opposition parties, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, have alleged that more than 50 lakh voters stand to be disenfranchised following the SIR exercise.
Kumar took the cover of the same Constitution that the Opposition alleges is being trampled upon by the Narendra Modi government in cahoots with the EC.
“The Constitution of India is the mother of India’s democracy. The EC is afraid the poll process would be misled by fake votes in the name of the dead voters, permanently migrated voters, duplicate voters, fake and foreign voters. That is why this revision has been launched in Bihar and will be taken to the entire country,” Kumar said. “Should the Election Commission not weed out such voters?” asked Kumar.
According to data released by the EC on Wednesday, 56 lakh names have been marked for deletion from Bihar’s voter rolls. The 56 lakh names include 20 lakh dead voters, 28 lakh who have moved permanently to another state, 7 lakh individuals registered in more than one location and 1 lakh uncontactable voters.
In addition, 15 lakh people failed to return voter verification forms distributed during the ongoing process, placing them at risk of being denied the voting right.
