Voter Roll Controversy
Opposition Challenges Election Commission Over Alleged Errors In Voter Roll Revision
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Key Points
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Bhattacharya said the party’s survey covered 102 polling booths in ten constituencies across seven Bihar districts, and found that 351 of 1,964 people deleted from voter rolls before the SIR were available at their addresses—an 18% rate.
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Bhattacharya also alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had made decisions within the three-member Election Commission without the consent of the other two members.
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The Congress planned to convene its state units on October 5 to discuss the SIR deletions and the Election Commission’s role, with Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra likely to chair the meeting, according to sources.
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Although the Aam Aadmi Party stayed away from the INDIA bloc meeting, it said it would support an Opposition move against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Nineteen opposition parties met in New Delhi on September 30 to coordinate a nationwide campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over what they call illegal voter deletions. The Hindu reported that the INDIA bloc is demanding his removal and planning street protests across the country starting October 2. Meanwhile, a separate survey by the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation found serious errors in Bihar's voter roll revision—1,550 people marked as deleted were actually alive at their registered addresses, representing a 17% error rate.
The dispute centers on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a nationwide effort to purify electoral rolls by removing deceased and duplicate voters. The Indian Express revealed that the two other election commissioners formally objected 14 times over ten months to the Chief Election Commissioner's unilateral decisions, accusing him of bypassing consensus and making unauthorized changes to voter registration software.
Bihar Survey Reveals Massive Errors in Voter Deletions
The CPI(ML) Liberation party conducted a door-to-door survey across 102 polling booths in ten constituencies spanning seven Bihar districts. The Hindu reported they found 351 of 1,964 voters deleted before the SIR were still alive and living at their addresses—an 18% error rate. Among voters deleted during the SIR itself, the party found 1,550 people who remained at their homes. The party also documented 36 voters falsely marked as deceased despite attending public verification events in Patna.
Party General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya stated the Election Commission is "making a mockery of the Constitution" through these deletions. The Hindu quoted him saying the findings demonstrate systematic errors that disenfranchise legitimate voters. The survey covered approximately 9,288 voter deletions across the sampled booths, providing what opposition parties say is concrete evidence of administrative failure in the nationwide SIR process affecting over 13 crore voters.
Election Commissioners Accused of Unilateral Decision-Making
An investigation by The Indian Express uncovered a deep rift within India's Election Commission. The two other commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—formally objected 14 times over ten months to decisions made by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar without their consent. Bhattacharya alleged Kumar made decisions "within the three-member Election Commission without the consent of the other two members," The Hindu reported, undermining the body's collegial structure.
The dissenting commissioners reportedly raised concerns about unauthorized changes to voter registration software and centralization of database controls in Delhi. The Indian Express characterized these changes as "illegal" and questioned whether they violated statutory procedures for voter registration. This internal discord suggests the SIR process may have operated outside normal institutional checks, strengthening opposition arguments that the exercise lacked proper oversight.
Opposition Plans Nationwide Protests and CEC's Removal
The 19-party INDIA bloc coordinated a multi-pronged strategy at the September 30 meeting. Hindustan Times reported opposition parties plan "Save Democracy" street marches across districts starting October 2, followed by a march to Election Commission headquarters on October 6. Congress plans to convene its state units on October 5 to align strategy, with senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expected to lead efforts.
Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal termed CEC Kumar's removal "non-negotiable," accusing him of rigging elections and favoring the ruling BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party, which skipped the September 30 meeting, affirmed support for removing Kumar. Hindustan Times noted opposition leaders are prioritizing public agitation over parliamentary impeachment motions, which have been rejected by presiding officers. A mega opposition rally is scheduled for November 1 in New Delhi.
Election Commission Defends SIR as Constitutional Duty
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the SIR as "the most successful nationwide initiative for the purification of electoral rolls," asserting the ECI "was, is, and will always remain with the voters." The Hindu reported that on August 16, Kumar stated the SIR removed 70 lakh invalid names in Bihar alone while achieving record election turnout. The Election Commission maintains that roll revisions are constitutional and necessary to prevent duplicate or non-citizen voting under Article 324.
The Supreme Court previously upheld the SIR's statutory validity, endorsing the Election Commission's constitutional mandate. BJP leaders have dismissed opposition claims as an attempt to undermine institutions following legal defeats. India Today reported the government frames the exercise as routine democratic housekeeping, contrasting sharply with opposition characterizations of "vote theft" targeting marginalized voters and tilting elections toward the ruling party.
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