Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday firmly rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote chori” (vote theft), defending the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Addressing a press briefing, Kumar asserted the Commission’s neutrality, reaffirmed its commitment to the Constitution, and emphasised that all political parties are treated equally under the law.

“Under the Indian Constitution, every Indian citizen who has reached the age of 18 years should vote,” he said, adding, “For the ECI, there is no Opposition or ruling party. All political parties are treated equally. There is no discrimination.”

Kumar also reiterated that the SIR process was introduced in response to long-standing demands from all political parties for a more accurate and updated electoral roll. “For the past two decades, parties have asked for corrections in electoral rolls. The ECI began the SIR to address this, and all voters and political representatives are actively contributing,” the Chief Election Commissioner said.

The CEC reported that over 28,000 claims and objections have already been submitted as part of the SIR process in Bihar. He urged political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to file any further objections within the next 15 days, ahead of the 1 September deadline. “The Commission invites all political parties and BLAs to file claims and objections before 1 September. After this date, the draft list will move to the next phase, and no new complaints will be entertained,” Kumar explained.

Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, he accused "certain political leaders" of spreading misinformation, saying, “On the ground, voters, BLOs and BLAs are cooperating and submitting testimonials. These are either not being acknowledged by political parties or are being deliberately misrepresented.”

Gyanesh Kumar also addressed all the claims made by Rahul Gandhi in his 7 August press conference, particularly referencing the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Karnataka. Gandhi had alleged large-scale duplication and irregularities in voter records, which he claimed was part of a broader pattern of electoral fraud. In addition he also acknowledged and addressed all other allegations leveled by several Opposition parties in the aftermath of Rahul Gandhi’s press conference.

1. House Number ‘Zero’ Entries

On the issue of voters being registered under addresses with ‘house number zero’, Kumar clarified, “There are lakhs of homes in rural and urban areas without assigned house numbers. To ensure no eligible voter is excluded, the ECI uses a notional number zero. People living under bridges, near lampposts, or in unauthorised colonies must also be included.” He emphasised that address is not a precondition for voting; age, citizenship, and proximity to the polling booth are the key criteria.

2. Duplicate Entries and Alleged Double Voting

Responding to allegations of duplicate names on voter rolls, Kumar acknowledged that while some names may appear in more than one booth, it does not automatically translate to double voting. “It is one thing for a name to appear twice and quite another to vote twice. Casting votes in two places is a criminal offence. If there is evidence of this happening, it should be submitted. So far, none has been provided.” He further clarified the legal distinction between electoral rolls and the act of voting, noting they are governed by separate laws and administered by different functionaries.

3. 22 Lakh Reported Deaths in Bihar

CEC Gyanesh Kumar clarified that the figure of 22 lakh voter deaths reported in six months in Bihar was misleading, explaining that these numbers reflected unreported deaths accumulated over the past two decades. “The last SIR in Bihar was conducted 20 years ago. Since then, only summary revisions were held, which do not involve door-to-door verification. The current SIR has helped update these long-standing records,” he said.

4. Accusations of Rushed SIR Process

Kumar strongly denied claims that the SIR exercise was being conducted in haste, noting that legal provisions require voter rolls to be updated before elections. “The Representation of the People Act mandates voter list revision before every election. The work began on 24 June and reached over 7 crore voters by 20 July. In fact, the last SIR in Bihar in 2003 was also conducted in July.”

The Chief Election Commissioner also addressed the demand for machine-readable voter rolls. Referring to a 2019 Supreme Court ruling, he said, “The Court warned that searchable digital rolls could breach voter privacy. There’s a difference between machine-readable and searchable by EPIC. We will not compromise on privacy.”

Without directly naming Rahul Gandhi, Kumar criticised the data analysis presented during the August 7 press conference. “The so-called PPT presentation showed flawed analysis. We challenge the person who made these claims to submit an affidavit within seven days or apologise to the nation.”