New Delhi: A day after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in a press conference denied allegations of “vote theft” and attacked “a few political parties” for “creating confusion among voters” regarding the ongoing “special intensive revision” (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, opposition members of the INDIA bloc on Monday (August 18) accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of abdicating responsibility as a constitutional authority and acting like a spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Opposition MPs addressed a joint press conference in New Delhi which was attended by Naseer Hussain, Gaurav Gogoi (Congress); Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Mahua Moitra (TMC), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), Sanjay Singh (AAP), John Brittas (CPIM) and Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena UBT).

"It has now become clear that the EC is not being led by officers who can ensure a level playing field. To the contrary, it is now clear that those who lead the ECI divert and thwart any attempt at a meaningful inquiry into voter fraud and instead opt to intimidate those who challenge the ruling party. This is a serious indictment," said the joint statement signed by the opposition MPs.

They said that on Sunday, Kumar had shown himself not as the CEC but as a BJP spokesperson.

“We were looking for the chief election commissioner, but at yesterday’s press conference we found another spokesperson for the BJP,” said Manoj Kumar Jha.

Jha said that Kumar had not answered any of the questions raised by journalists at the press conference and did not provide any clarifications on the concerns raised by opposition parties over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, or the allegations of “vote theft” made by leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka’s Mahadevpura constituency.

"Our concerns, whether those raised by Rahul Gandhi or Akhilesh Yadav or Tejashwi Yadav or in Maharashtra, Haryana, come from the Constitution. The CEC said that asking questions of the Election Commission is raising questions on the Constitution. I want to tell the CEC that the Election Commission is not synonymous with the Constitution, but rather it is born from it. You are speaking like Modi that any discussion on him is one around the nation,” he said.

“Whether it is parliament, political parties or parliamentarians we are born out of the Constitution. Don't rip it to shreds by hiding behind it. This book is a protection and safeguard. It cannot be a shield for your defiance of Constitutional propriety and morality,” he added.

At Sunday’s press conference, Kumar issued an ultimatum to Gandhi and said that he should either provide his allegations of “vote theft” in Mahadevpura under oath in an affidavit or apologise to the nation within seven days. The Wire has reported that Kumar remained silent on the allegations made by BJP MP Anurag Thakur on irregularities in voter rolls in Rae Bareli, Kannauj, Wayanad and Diamond Harbour.

Ram Gopal Yadav said that while the Election Commission was asking for an affidavit from Gandhi, it had taken no action on the affidavit provided by the Samajwadi Party in 2022.

"During the 2022 UP elections, Akhilesh Yadav said that Samajwadi Party voters' names have been deleted, the Election Commission asked for an affidavit. We provided an affidavit with 18,000 names and were provided with receipts. No action has been taken till now,” he said. 

“The Election Commission which is asking for an affidavit from  Gandhi every day, we have already given that commission an affidavit with 18,000 names that have been wrongly deleted,” he said.

Mahua Moitra said that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was the first to raise the issue of duplicate EPIC cards in February, following which the TMC met the Election Commission in March.

"We have written five letters, submitted a memorandum. The deadline for solving the issue of duplicate EPIC cards by their own admission was June 7, which has since passed," she said.

Saying that the CEC had shown an “absolutely shameful display of puppetry”, she said, “The job of the Election Commission is not to attack the Opposition. Mr Chief Election Commissioner, I would urge that you leave that to your political masters.”

Moitra also said that since the Election Commission had said that 22 lakh voters who were found to be deceased in Bihar, were those who had died in several years, which brings into question the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that Kumar’s name should be changed to “Agyanesh Kumar” as he had shown his ignorance in the press conference.

"After listening to CEC Gyanesh Kumar yesterday, his name should be 'Agyanesh Kumar,' because he spoke out of ignorance. Either he is a fool, or he is deliberately acting like a fool, or he considers us to be fools. He is making such illogical statements that we are astonished,” said Singh.

“He did not answer even a single question that was asked to him. From 25 June to 25 July, 65 lakh votes were deleted in SIR but did not add a single vote in Bihar, and yet you say that you are conducting SIR,” he said, adding that the AAP had moved the Election Commission prior to the Delhi elections saying that multiple voters were found to be living in the houses of central ministers but no action was taken.

Brittas said that the Election Commission is “biased, selective and unfair” and acting like the BJP’s “B-team” and seems to have declared war on opposition parties.

“We, the Opposition parties, firmly believe that the CEC has forfeited his right to serve in his constitutional position. He has virtually declared war on the Opposition parties in his press conference. From the beginning, the government had an ulterior motive to make the EC its B team. That's why in 2023, the government brought in a law to circumvent the judgement of the 5-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court,” he said.

DMK’s Siva referred to the stalemate in parliament during the ongoing monsoon session over the demand for a discussion on the SIR. He said that parliament is not functioning because of the opposition but because of the government which is not holding a discussion.

While Kumar on Sunday issued an ultimatum to Gandhi, Gogoi said that political parties cannot be intimidated.

“The Election Commission completely failed in its responsibility to conduct a fair election. It has become clear that the Election Commission is under the control of certain officials who favour a particular party. The Election Commission thinks that by making grand statements, it can intimidate political parties. We only want to tell them that officers will come and go, but the House will always remain and bear witness to their actions,” he said.

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