Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gynaesh Kumar on Sunday strongly defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Bihar, dismissing allegations of double voting and ‘vote theft’ as baseless. His remarks came amid the INDIA bloc’s launch of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, accusing the Election Commission (EC) of manipulating voter rolls ahead of the state polls.

Addressing a press conference, Kumar stated that the electoral roll revision aims to eliminate discrepancies and ensure accuracy. He expressed concern over certain political parties spreading misinformation and “firing from the Election Commission’s shoulder” to create confusion. The CEC clarified that the revision process is neither rushed nor irregular, adding that it is the EC’s legal duty to update voter lists before every election.

Kumar urged all political parties to submit claims and objections to the draft rolls, highlighting that 15 days still remain for this purpose. He emphasized that the EC operates transparently, with booth-level officers and agents working collectively. Rejecting allegations of bias, Kumar said the EC treats both ruling and opposition parties equally and slammed attempts to question its integrity.

“It is an insult to the Constitution to raise allegations without filing election petitions within the stipulated time,” Kumar remarked. Stressing that over one crore personnel are involved in the election process, he questioned how ‘vote theft’ could occur under such scrutiny.

The CEC added that multiple voter IDs often arise due to migration and other factors, making SIR essential. He reiterated that neither the EC nor voters are intimidated by baseless accusations and assured that the Commission will remain impartial.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the EC of colluding with the BJP to manipulate voter lists, alleging a conspiracy to “steal” the Bihar Assembly elections through additions and deletions. Gandhi made these remarks at Sasaram during the launch of his 1,300 km ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ across 20 districts in Bihar.