New Delhi, August 18: Congress MP and Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of “evading accountability” over the “hurried” conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference at the Constitution Club of India, Gogoi alleged that the poll body functioned under “biased officials” and ignored the opposition’s concerns. He questioned why political parties were not taken into confidence before initiating the revision drive and flagged the sudden addition of 70 lakh voters within months of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
“When elections in Bihar are only months away, why did the EC bypass consultations with political parties before the SIR? The Commission remained silent on this, just as it has on the unexplained increase of 70 lakh voters after the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. It is being run by officials who are not impartial,” Gogoi said.
Emphasizing that the right to vote is central to safeguarding democracy, Gogoi said the ECI, as the constitutional guardian of this right, had failed to respond to doubts raised across the country about alleged irregularities in electoral roll revisions. “Instead of addressing concerns, the EC is trying to escape accountability,” he remarked.
He further criticised Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar for holding a press briefing “only to attack opposition parties” rather than clarifying the rationale behind the hasty SIR exercise. Gogoi added that the Supreme Court’s observations had already undermined the EC’s defence of the Bihar voter list revision.
The remarks came a day after CEC Kumar rejected allegations of “vote theft” levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling them an “insult to the Constitution.” Kumar had demanded that Gandhi either submit an affidavit substantiating his claims or issue a public apology within seven days. “There is no third option,” Kumar warned.
Rahul Gandhi, however, hit back, alleging selective treatment by the poll body. “The EC asks me for an affidavit, but when BJP MP Anurag Thakur makes the same charges, no such demand is made from him,” Gandhi said.
