The Election Commission will hold a press conference on Sunday as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launches his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, amid an escalating row over electoral rolls in the poll-bound state.
It is unusual for the poll authority to convene a formal press conference on matters other than announcing election schedules. The briefing is scheduled for 3 pm.
The development comes after Gandhi levelled allegations of “vote chori (theft)” against the poll panel in connection with the “special” intensive electoral roll revision in Bihar. He has repeatedly accused the commission of voter-data manipulation and claimed that similar irregularities occurred in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana.
The Election Commission has asked Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to provide names of those he claims were wrongfully added or removed from the voters’ list, along with a signed declaration. It has also sought an apology from him if he fails to substantiate his allegations.
Also Read : EC faces trust deficit in democracy, says Manish Tewari
The commission’s move to hold a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar has already drawn criticism from Opposition parties, who allege that the exercise could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters lacking documents.
Earlier, the Supreme Court directed the commission to publish details of 6.5 million deleted names from the voters’ list, along with reasons for their removal, to ensure transparency in the ongoing revision.
The timing of the press conference has drawn political attention as it coincides with the launch of Rahul Gandhi’s 16-day-long ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram. The yatra, covering 1,300 kilometres across 20 districts, will conclude in Patna on September 1, with a mega rally to be attended by leaders of the INDIA bloc.
Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Saturday said, “Sources have revealed that the Election Commission will hold a press conference tomorrow, while on the same day, Rahul Gandhi is launching the ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ in Bihar. How long will they keep pulling strings to benefit the BJP? Now, the Election Commission should stop conducting elections and directly contest them instead.”
Gandhi shared details of the yatra in a post on X, writing, “16 days. 20 districts. 1,300 kms. We are coming among the people with the Voter Rights Yatra. This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right – ‘one person, one vote.’ Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.”
Follow us
