'Political Parties Involved In Every Step': EC Defends Bihar SIR Ahead Of Press Conference

This follows criticism and a Supreme Court directive to publish deletion details. Rahul Gandhi accused the ECI of "vote theft," alleging BJP collusion, prompting the ECI to demand proof or an apology.

The ECI defended its Bihar voter list revision, stating political parties were involved but didn't object in time.

Source : PTI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended its handling of the ongoing voter list revision in Bihar, saying political parties were involved at every stage of the process but failed to raise objections within the stipulated timeframe.

In a statement issued on Saturday, a day before its scheduled press conference, the poll body said both physical and digital copies of draft electoral rolls were shared with all recognised political parties and uploaded on its website for public scrutiny. Parties and citizens, it added, were given a month to file claims and objections, followed by a two-tier appeals process once the final list was published.

Criticism and Supreme Court Intervention

The clarification comes amid an intensive revision of electoral rolls ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls. Opposition parties have alleged that the exercise could disenfranchise millions of voters due to documentation issues. The Supreme Court recently directed the Commission to publish online the details of more than 6.5 million voters proposed for deletion during the process.

Responding to criticism, the EC said some parties and their booth-level agents had not examined the rolls “at the appropriate time” and failed to highlight discrepancies. It added that all political parties in Bihar were provided with the complete list of proposed deletions from July 20, 2025. The list included names, reasons for removal such as death, permanent migration, duplicate entries, or untraceability and clear guidelines for filing objections.

Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations

The controversy escalated after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Commission of “vote theft.” At a press conference on August 7, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha cited his party’s research on the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka, claiming that over 100,000 votes had been illegally removed. He alleged collusion between the BJP and the poll body, saying this “choreographed” process helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi secure a third term.

The EC has since demanded that Gandhi provide names of voters he believes were wrongfully added or removed, supported by a signed declaration. The Commission has also asked him to apologise if he fails to substantiate his claims.