CEC Gyanesh Kumar affirms the importance of accurate electoral rolls for democracy. His statement comes as SC hears pleas against Bihar’s voter list revision.
New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said that “accurate electoral rolls are inevitable for strengthening democracy,” while addressing booth-level officers at a training session in the national capital.
His remarks come at a time when several opposition parties have raised serious concerns over the ongoing special intensive revision of the voters’ list in Bihar — a state preparing for upcoming Assembly elections later this year.
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The CEC’s comments have gained importance as opposition parties have approached the Supreme Court, alleging that this revision process could deprive crores of voters of their voting rights.
These parties claim that the timing and manner of the voter list revision are politically motivated and could harm the fairness of the election process.
However, the Election Commission has strongly defended the special revision, saying that this is a much-needed clean-up exercise.
It clarified that the revision is being conducted after 22 years, and its goal is to ensure that the electoral roll is accurate and free from illegal or duplicate entries.
According to the Election Commission, the process will help remove names of ineligible people and duplicate voters and also ensure that those who are legally eligible to vote are added to the list.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on July 10 a batch of petitions that have challenged this special electoral roll revision in Bihar.
These petitions are filed by several political parties, including Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Communist Party of India (CPI), and Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) CPI (ML).
The opposition parties argue that the poll panel’s move lacks transparency and may affect the rights of genuine voters, especially in rural and marginalized communities.
The petitions before the apex court raise constitutional questions about voter disenfranchisement, transparency in the electoral process, and the powers of the Election Commission.
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