New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday reaffirmed that the Election Commission treats all political parties equally and will not step back from its constitutional responsibility.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar as per news agency JKNS addressed a press conference, asserting that the Election Commission of India stands firmly by its constitutional duty and will not allow misinformation or baseless allegations to undermine the credibility of the country’s electoral system.
“As per the Constitution of India, every citizen of India who has attained the age of 18 years must become a voter and must also vote,” the CEC said, adding, “You all know that, as per the law, every political party is born through registration with the Election Commission. Then how can the Election Commission discriminate among the same political parties? For the Election Commission, all are equal. No matter who belongs to any political party, the Election Commission will not step back from its constitutional duty.”
He stressed that the Commission’s “doors are always open” for all political parties, voters, and booth-level officers. “It is a matter of serious concern that verified documents and testimonials of district presidents of political parties and BLOs nominated by them are either not reaching their own state or national-level leaders, or attempts are being made to spread confusion by ignoring ground reality,” Kumar said.
On the Special Summary Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, he said: “SIR has been started in Bihar. 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have prepared a draft list. As this draft list was being prepared in every booth, the Booth Level Agents of all political parties verified it with their signatures. Voters have submitted a total of 28,370 claims and objections.”
He warned against misuse of voter information, recalling recent incidents where photographs of voters were presented to the media without consent. “Allegations were made against them, they were used. Should the Election Commission share CCTV videos of any voter, including their mothers, daughters-in-law, daughters?” he asked.
Responding to allegations of double voting, Kumar stated: “When asked for proof, no answer was given. Neither the Election Commission nor any voter is afraid of such false allegations. The Commission fearlessly stands like a rock with all voters—poor, rich, elderly, women, youth—without any discrimination.”
On the legal provisions, the CEC clarified: “Even after the returning officer declares the results, there is a provision in the law that within a period of 45 days, political parties can go to the Supreme Court and file an election petition to challenge the election. After this 45-day period, making such baseless allegations is misleading.”
He reiterated that only Indian citizens can contest and vote in Indian elections. “If any foreign national has filled the enumeration form, they must prove nationality during the SIR process. Their names will be removed after verification,” Kumar said.
He also highlighted the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling, saying, “The machine-readable voter list is prohibited. The apex court found that providing such a list violates voter privacy. However, searchable voter lists with EPIC numbers on the Commission’s website are legal.”
Explaining the problem of duplicate EPICs, Kumar said: “About three lakh such cases were found and corrected nationwide. Another form of duplication arises when the same person’s name exists at multiple places with different EPIC numbers, mostly due to lack of online facilities before 2003.”
He dismissed criticism that the SIR exercise was being conducted in a hurry. “The Representation of the People Act mandates rectification of the voter list before every election. Work in Bihar began on June 24 and was largely completed by July 20. After August 1, when daily bulletins were issued, no political party lodged objections,” he pointed out, urging all twelve recognised parties to raise concerns before September 1.
Issuing a stern warning, the CEC said: “An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless.”
On the controversy in Maharashtra, he remarked: “To date, the Chief Election Officer of Maharashtra has not received the name of a single voter with proof. It has been eight months since the elections were held. If you keep saying anything 10 times, 20 times, it does not become true. The sun rises only in the east. It does not rise in the west just because someone says so.”
The CEC concluded by reaffirming that the Commission “stands with the Constitution, the law, and the people of India” and will ensure free, fair, and transparent elections in every state. (JKNS)
