The Election Commission of India (ECI) has clarified that political parties should raise any discrepancies in electoral rolls during the designated claims and objections period, rather than after elections. Responding to allegations of “vote theft” and manipulation, the poll body emphasized that electoral rolls are shared with political parties ahead of elections to allow them to verify and report errors.

In an official statement, the ECI said, “It appears that some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) failed to examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any, to the concerned SDMs, EROs, DEOs, or CEOs. Recently, some political parties and individuals are raising issues about errors in electoral rolls, including those prepared in previous years.”

The commission stressed that the proper time to raise such issues is during the claims and objections period, which is specifically meant for corrections. “Had these concerns been raised at the right time through the proper channels, it would have allowed officials to correct genuine mistakes before the elections,” it added.

The ECI further welcomed the scrutiny of electoral rolls by both parties and voters, noting that it will help in removing errors and ensuring clean rolls. A press conference on the matter is scheduled for Sunday.

This clarification comes amid a political storm triggered by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who alleged that the Election Commission colluded with the BJP in voter list manipulation. Gandhi cited data from the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka and called his evidence an “atom bomb.” He also objected to the ECI asking him to sign an affidavit, saying he had already sworn an oath to the Constitution.

The ECI condemned the use of terms like “vote chori” (vote theft), calling them “dirty phrases” aimed at creating a false narrative. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has launched the “Vote Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, a 16-day campaign across 20 districts to protest alleged irregularities in voter rolls. “We are bringing the Voter Rights Yatra to the people. This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right – ‘one person, one vote,’” Rahul posted on X.