ECI dismisses agitating Opposition leaders' allegations on voter list as 'incorrect'

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The ECI on Monday issued a fact-check dismissing as “incorrect” statements issued by agitating Opposition leaders over alleged "voter list manipulation".

Sharing details of meetings held with political parties before the publication of the draft electoral roll in Bihar, at the time of publication of the draft roll and after the publication of the draft roll, the Election Commission of India (ECI) claimed to maintain the highest degree of transparency in the exercise.

Claiming that pure electoral rolls strengthen democracy, the ECI reissued the actual order of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and issued links to videos carrying testimonials of representatives of political parties, including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Left.

The ECI’s fact-check was issued on a day when the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, led a united protest march of the INDIA Bloc parties from Parliament to the ECI’s office at Nirvachan Sadan in Delhi.

The Congress, on its official X handle, said, “India will fight back against vote chori”

Rahul Gandhi, who was detained during the protest, also took to X to thank all Opposition parties for joining the protest and reiterated that it is not a political fight but one to protect democracy, the Constitution and the right to vote.

The ECI earlier said that as many as 127 claims and objections out of 10,570 received directly from electors concerning Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar have been disposed of by officials so far.

Even after 11 days of the publication of electoral draft rolls, none of the political parties has filed any complaint, the poll panel said.

The ECI said that in Bihar, since August 1, as many as 54,432 new electors, who have turned 18 after the SIR exercise, have filed forms for inclusion in the voter list.

The SIR exercise in Bihar has been attacked by the Opposition parties over alleged irregularities, which, they allege, threaten to deprive lakhs of voters of their right to vote - a charge denied by the ECI.

--IANS

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