Amid allegations by opposition parties of manipulation in voter data, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday countered the charges, stating that it appears some political groups and their booth-level agents failed to review the electoral rolls at the appropriate stage.
In its statement, the poll body clarified that the Claims and Objections period, which follows the publication of draft rolls, is precisely meant for identifying and rectifying errors. “It seems that some political parties and their BLAs did not scrutinize the rolls at the proper time and therefore failed to highlight mistakes, if any,” the EC said.
The Commission noted that several complaints were recently raised regarding inaccuracies, including in rolls prepared in earlier years. However, it stressed that if issues had been flagged during the designated window, electoral registration officers could have corrected them before elections were conducted.
Reiterating its stand, the EC said it has consistently shared electoral rolls with parties and candidates to ensure transparency. It added that any belated objections undermine the very purpose of this process.
The statement emphasized that the ECI remains open to scrutiny of electoral rolls not only by political parties but also by individual voters. “Such reviews will help registration officers remove mistakes and purify the rolls, which has always been the Commission’s objective,” it said.
The clarification comes just ahead of the EC’s unprecedented press conference scheduled for August 17, where voter roll controversies are expected to dominate discussions.