NEW DELHI
Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S.Y. Quraishi on Sunday criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its handling of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft in Bihar. Speaking to PTI ahead of the launch of his book Democracy’s Heartland, Quraishi said the ECI should have ordered a probe instead of responding with objectionable and offensive language.
Quraishi described Gandhi’s use of terms like hydrogen bomb as political rhetoric but stressed that the allegations themselves warranted a thorough investigation. He also took aim at the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it risked opening a Pandora’s box and could backfire on the institution.
Emphasizing the importance of maintaining public confidence, Quraishi noted that opposition parties, being out of power, require greater attention and access to the ECI. Rahul Gandhi represents millions of people and voicing their concerns should not be met with shouting, he said. He argued that the proper response would have been to launch a fact-finding probe rather than asking Gandhi to submit an affidavit under threat of invalidation.
Quraishi also questioned the logic of excluding Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) from voter verification, noting that it was issued by the ECI itself. He warned that trying to redo the electoral roll in just three months could undo decades of careful work and stressed that fairness and transparency are critical for electoral credibility. The former CEC’s comments come amid growing public scrutiny over the SIR process, with Gandhi claiming systematic manipulation of votes in multiple states during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
