‘Insult To Constitution’: CEC On ‘Vote Chori’ Claims, Counters For Machine-Readable Roll, CCTV

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday strongly refuted allegations of “vote chori” (vote theft) and breaches of voter privacy, asserting that such claims are an insult to India’s constitution. He defended the integrity of the electoral process and the Election Commission of India (ECI), highlighting the transparency of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar.

He said, “When seven crore voters of Bihar stand with the Election Commission, then neither can any question mark be raised on the credibility of the Election Commission nor on the credibility of the voters. As per the law, if errors in the voter lists are not shared in time, or petitions are not filed before the Hon’ble Supreme Court within 45 days of the election, and then words like ‘vote theft’ are used, it is nothing but an insult to the Constitution of India.”

He also dismissed the Congress demand for a machine-readable voter list, recalling that “the Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2019 had already said that this could be a breach of voter privacy. We recently saw how photos of voters were presented before the media without permission, with allegations levelled against them. Should CCTV videos of our mothers, daughters and daughters-in-law be shared by the Election Commission? The voter list contains only those entitled to vote, and in such a transparent process with over one crore officials, more than 10 lakh booth-level agents and over 20 lakh polling agents, can any voter really commit theft of votes?”

The remark was in reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent press conference where he shared photos and names of voters that appeared in the voter list more than once. He also alleged double voting in Lok Sabha election in Karnataka.

The CEC further dismissed allegations of double voting, saying, “It was alleged that some voters did double voting, but when asked for evidence, no response was given. Such false charges neither scare the Election Commission nor the voters.”

He also elaborated on the difference between a machine-readable voter list and a searchable voter list: “You can search the voter list available on the Election Commission website by entering the EPIC number. You can also download it. This is not called machine-readable. Regarding machine-readable, in 2019, the Supreme Court also studied this subject in depth and found that giving a machine-readable electoral roll can violate the privacy of the voter… The machine-readable voter list is prohibited. This decision of the Election Commission is after the judgement of the Supreme Court and is from 2019.”

#WATCH | Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, “The machine-readable voter list is prohibited. This decision of the Election Commission is after the judgment of the Supreme Court and is from 2019.”

“We have to understand the difference between a machine-readable… pic.twitter.com/qDO8acT4Fr

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2025

‘Ground Reality Being Ignored To Spread Confusion’: CEC Gyanesh On Oppn Attacks Over Bihar SIR

Underscoring neutrality, Kumar said the Commission stands firm with every voter, irrespective of class, community, religion or gender. “When attempts are made to target India’s voters by placing the gun on the Election Commission’s shoulder, today the Commission wants to clarify that it has always stood, continues to stand, and will stand like a rock with all voters — poor or rich, elderly, women, or youth — without any discrimination.”

He added that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar was progressing transparently, noting that 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents had prepared the draft list which was verified with signatures of political parties’ representatives. “Voters have submitted a total of 28,370 claims and objections… All political parties and BLOs are verifying, signing and giving video testimonials. It is concerning if such verified documents are not reaching state or national leaders, or if ground reality is being ignored to spread confusion,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi Launches ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched his 1,300 km ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram, accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to manipulate electoral rolls in Bihar.

“The whole country now knows that the Election Commission is stealing elections in collusion with the BJP,” Gandhi said, adding, “We will not let them steal the election in Bihar. People of Bihar will not let them steal elections. Poor only have the power of vote and will not let them steal polls.”

He alleged that the Special Intensive Revision process was being used to delete and add voters strategically. “In Maharashtra all opinion polls said the INDIA bloc will win. In the Lok Sabha, our alliance had won but after four months, in the same Maharashtra, BJP alliance swept the polls as one crore voters were added, and wherever such additions happened BJP won. We showed that over one lakh votes were stolen in one assembly segment, and the BJP won that Lok Sabha seat.”

The launch event witnessed the presence of senior opposition leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insaan Party’s Mukesh Sahani, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M)’s Subhashini Ali and CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar.

The march, which will traverse over 20 districts in a hybrid format of foot and vehicle, will conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1. On the eve of the yatra, Gandhi posted on X: “16 days, 20+ districts, 1,300+ km. We are coming among the people with the Voter Adhikar Yatra. This is a fight to protect the most basic democratic right — ‘one person, one vote’. Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.”