Elections In India Held As Per Constitution, Asserts CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Kumar said the electoral roll is concurrently audited by the political parties and their BLAs to ensure transparency, reports Santu Das.
Published : July 17, 2026 at 7:14 PM IST
New Delhi: In the wake of allegations levelled by the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc that the electoral process is being manipulated and outcomes in multiple polls do not reflect the will of the people, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Friday categorically stated the elections in India are held as per the Constitution and electoral rolls.
Last month, Congress-led INDIA bloc had sent a letter to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll and other election related issues including alleged vote loot. Addressing the All India Media Conference, organised by the Election Commission of India at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management here, Kumar said, "Elections in India are held as per the Constitution, electoral laws and instructions of the Election Commission of India. Everything in the ECI happens according to the Constitution, the electoral laws and the instructions of the ECI."
He said any data of the Election Commission which lawfully is required to be shared or sometimes not, is put on 'ECINET' to ensure "transparency". The CEC said the electoral rolls in India are concurrently audited by all Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of national and state level political parties.
"The electoral roll is concurrently audited by the political parties and their BLAs, otherwise draft rolls won't come out, the final rolls won't come out. Then "why this narrative?," he asked, without naming anyone.
The INDIA bloc in its letter to the CJI had flagged issues in connection with the SIR conducted in different states including West Bengal, where the Assembly elections were held recently. The Opposition alleged that the massive exercise just before the Assembly elections, was ill-timed and its faulty implementation a monumental disaster.
In a veiled reference to the criticism of the ECI, the CEC said, "Why this narrative then ? What did the Commission do? The Commission is just removing Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate, and Foreigners/Non-eligible electors (ASDDF). If wrongly deleted, the BLAs can submit complaints during the claims and objections."
He said the Election Commission will keep on conducting SIR as per Constitution, and electoral rolls. The third phase of the SIR is being carried out in 16 states and three Union Territories in a staggered manner. Among the states and UTs included are Odisha, Mizoram, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura, Delhi, Meghalaya and Maharashtra.
Also Read
