New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has come under scrutiny after opposition parties alleged that nearly 65 lakh voters were removed during the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The matter reached the Supreme Court of India, which on Monday issued sharp remarks against the ECI, cautioning that if any illegality is found in the procedure followed during the SIR, the exercise could be struck down.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the ECI appeared to be deviating from proper rules in the conduct of elections. The court said it would hear final arguments on October 7 before delivering its judgment. The bench also noted that despite earlier directions to accept Aadhaar as a valid identity document during the revision, several complaints were received alleging that election officials had refused to accept it. Dismissing the ECI’s objections, the court clarified that while Aadhaar does not establish citizenship, it remains a legally valid form of identity.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress has accused the ECI of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate voter rolls ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for November. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that similar voter theft has occurred in multiple elections across the country, citing a recent controversy in Mahadevpura, Karnataka, where over one lakh votes were allegedly stolen. The ECI has denied all such allegations, asserting that no voter fraud has taken place.
Opposition leaders have claimed they possess strong evidence of electoral malpractice, stating they have already presented “atom bomb-level” proof and will soon release “hydrogen bomb-level” evidence to expose what they described as the ECI’s illegal actions.