NEW DELHI — The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday, August 17, held a press conference to vehemently counter allegations of “vote theft” and electoral irregularities raised by opposition parties, particularly by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar defended the integrity of the electoral process and accused the opposition of making “unsuccessful efforts to mislead the voters.”
The press conference, held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, coincided with Rahul Gandhi’s launch of a “Voter Adhikaar Yatra” in Bihar, where the opposition is protesting the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
CEC Cites Voter Privacy as Key Concern
A major point of contention addressed by CEC Gyanesh Kumar was the demand for sharing CCTV footage from polling booths and for providing “machine-readable” voter lists. He argued that sharing such data could lead to a breach of voter privacy.
“Should the Election Commission share CCTV videos of anyone’s mother, daughter-in-law, sister, or of anyone else?” he said, adding that “unauthorized photos of voters” have already been used by some to make “allegations.” He referred to a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that he said supports the ECI’s decision to not provide machine-readable voter lists, as it could also compromise voter privacy.
A ‘Gun on the EC’s Shoulder’
Gyanesh Kumar was particularly critical of the phrase “vote chori” (vote theft) used by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders. He described the charges as “shots being fired at the voters by perching a gun on the EC’s shoulder,” and a “disrespect to the Constitution.” He emphasized that the ECI stands fearlessly by all voters and that the transparent process, which involves over 1.3 crore election officials, booth-level agents, and candidates’ representatives, makes it impossible for anyone to “steal votes.”
The CEC also reiterated that no proof has been provided to substantiate the claims of people voting twice. He said that a voter can only cast their ballot once, regardless of whether their name appears multiple times on the voter list. He also dismissed allegations of voters with “zero address,” explaining that these are often individuals without a permanent address to whom the ECI assigns a notional number.
Rahul Gandhi and Congress Double Down on Charges
While the ECI was holding its press conference in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi was in Sasaram, Bihar, with allies from the INDIA bloc. He doubled down on his allegations, telling a rally that the “entire country knows what the Election Commission is doing.” He claimed that the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar was a “conspiracy to steal the Bihar elections,” and vowed that the opposition would not let it happen.
In response to the CEC’s call for him to provide proof under oath, Rahul Gandhi had previously stated that he had already taken the oath of the Constitution as a Member of Parliament.
Congress Questions EC’s Stance
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera responded to the CEC’s comments by questioning the ECI’s stance on privacy. He asked why the footage is recorded for 45 days before being destroyed if there is such a concern for privacy. He also highlighted that Rahul Gandhi had met with people who were allegedly on the voter list despite being declared dead.