New Delhi: Facing sharp allegations of large-scale vote theft from the Congress party and questions over duplicate voter IDs held by BJP leaders, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday strongly rebutted the charges, calling them unfounded and damaging to public trust.
The poll body emphasized that the law of “One Person, One Vote” has been in force since India’s first general election in 1951-52, and that any allegation of malpractice should be substantiated with evidence rather than sweeping claims.
“If anyone has proof of any individual voting twice in an election, that evidence should be submitted with a written affidavit,” ECI officials stated. “Labeling crores of Indian electors as ‘chor’ without proof is an attack not just on the voters but also on the integrity of the lakhs of election staff who ensure free and fair elections.”
The controversy escalated after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, terming it “vote chori.” On August 7, Gandhi presented a detailed case study based on the Mahadevapura assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency, highlighting irregularities such as duplicate entries, incorrect age details, and deceased voters listed as alive.
The allegations gained further traction after reports surfaced of certain individuals holding two EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers. The ECI has already issued notices to Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi, both BJP leaders, for allegedly possessing two voter ID cards each.
Poll body sources argued that while isolated errors are possible in a massive electoral database of over 96 crore registered voters, creating a narrative of systematic fraud is misleading. They stressed that periodic verification, house-to-house surveys, and digital cross-checking mechanisms are in place to identify and remove duplicate or ineligible entries.
The ECI also warned political leaders against eroding public confidence in democratic institutions through “unverified claims.” Instead, it urged opposition parties and citizens to share specific, verifiable cases of irregularities so corrective measures can be taken promptly.
As the debate intensifies ahead of upcoming by-elections and state polls, the issue of voter roll accuracy has once again become a politically charged battleground, pitting the Congress’ allegations of manipulation against the ECI’s defense of its institutional credibility.
