Congress Slams Election Commission Over Voter Disenfranchisement Claims

Congress Criticizes Election Commission's Measures

New Delhi: The Congress party intensified its criticism of the Election Commission on Sunday, asserting that the proposed initiatives regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls signify an acknowledgment of the process being a 'failure'. They argue that the 'piecemeal' solutions for voters who have been deleted or are at risk of deletion will not effectively address the widespread disenfranchisement.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress's general secretary for communications, stated that the Election Commission's recent press release has been thoroughly discredited, labeling it as 'a desperate attempt at damage control that conceals more than it reveals'.

Ramesh further elaborated that the measures concerning the SIR are an implicit admission of its disastrous execution. He highlighted that for the 5.43 crore voters at risk of deletion, the Commission's promise for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit their homes is insufficient, as such visits were already supposed to occur during the enumeration phase.

He questioned the effectiveness of a second round of visits when the first were infrequent and inconsistent, emphasizing the need to reassess the rationale behind repeating a poorly executed process.

Ramesh criticized the SIR process as a 'colossal waste' of public resources, pointing out that nearly 14 crore voters have been deleted across all three phases of the SIR. He expressed concern that the Commission's response requires these voters to reapply to their Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) for reinstatement, effectively disenfranchising them before asking them to re-register.

He also raised alarms about targeted deletions of marginalized voters allegedly benefiting the BJP, a claim the Election Commission has not addressed. Ramesh noted that the central role of the ECINet software in managing electoral rolls, including the deletion of eligible voters and the illegal overruling of EROs, remains unacknowledged by the Commission.

The Election Commission has proposed a committee to ensure that the software complies with existing laws, which Ramesh interpreted as an admission of its questionable legality after its nationwide application during the SIR.

He pointed out that there is clear evidence of ECINet being used to delete eligible voters, overriding ERO decisions, which he deemed illegal. While the Commission claims to be rectifying issues in Goa, he questioned the lack of action regarding similar incidents in West Bengal and other states.

Ramesh's comments followed the Election Commission's assertion that all SIR orders received unanimous approval from its three commissioners and that updates to Form 6 for voter enrollment were validated by the Supreme Court amidst ongoing disputes regarding decision-making within the Commission.

After a recent meeting addressing reported disagreements between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the other two commissioners, the Commission clarified that letters sent by Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi were related to an officer on deputation, not policy or IT matters.

Reports indicate that Sandhu and Joshi have raised objections at least 14 times over the past ten months regarding decisions made on SIR without their knowledge or consent.

Ramesh further criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the operation of ECINet, revealing that disclosures from TCS indicated their involvement. He questioned whether the ongoing struggle for control over the Tata Group influenced this lack of clarity.

He claimed that the clarification regarding the letter to the Cabinet Secretary obscures more than it clarifies, as the Election Commission downplayed it as concerning 'the working of an officer on deputation' and unrelated to 'any policy matter of the IT division'.

However, he argued that the letter was prompted by an order that removed oversight from the IT division, stemming from concerns about the opaque and non-compliant operation of the IT division.

Ramesh alleged that the IT division has been overriding 'statutory safeguards' through ECINet, and these issues remain unresolved.

He expressed concern over the dangerous implications of the widespread use of AI in electoral roll preparation, citing the disastrous SIR in Delhi, where AI was reportedly used to flag voters. He noted that the Delhi CEO defended the use of 'system-generated' notices, while the Election Commission has not been transparent about AI's role in the SIR.

He referenced a previous admission by the West Bengal CEO regarding AI use, contrasting it with the Election Commission's statement to UN Special Rapporteurs denying any AI involvement.

Ramesh asserted that the illegal modification to Form 6 has not been denied, and the weak defense of this change raises further questions.

He criticized the Election Commission's attempt to use a Supreme Court ruling from May 27, 2026, which allowed for a new declaration in Form 6, as a justification for the change, arguing that the modification was made in July for all voters, not just those under SIR.

He emphasized that the same ruling states that the Election Commission cannot deviate from statutory procedures without a rational basis.

Ramesh pointed out that the alternative pathway offered for non-SIR Form 6 is misleading, as the Special Summary Revision (SSR) has been frozen since 2024, and there is no non-SIR voter roll available for voters to add their names.

He concluded that the promise to adhere to basic operating procedures indicates a prior disregard for them, describing the current situation as shocking.

Ramesh criticized the Election Commission's commitment to circulate agendas before meetings and complete performance evaluations on time, noting that the commissioners were often kept uninformed and learned about developments through the media.

He expressed deep concern over the blatant disregard for laws and procedures by a constitutional authority.

The Congress party has previously stated that the Election Commission is in 'damage control' mode following internal conflicts that surfaced after a media expose, demanding an immediate suspension of the ongoing SIR exercise.

They have also called for nothing less than the resignation or prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Kumar.