‘Raise issues at the right time’: EC rebukes parties for flagging voter roll errors after polls

In a detailed 10-point statement, the poll body emphasised that electoral rolls are prepared through a transparent, multi-layered process with the participation of political parties at every stage, according to an India Today report

It said that if concerns had been raised during the stipulated window, they could have been duly examined and rectified by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) before polling.

The commission noted that despite being involved throughout the process, many political parties and their Booth Level Agents did not review the draft rolls when they were published and failed to lodge objections.

"Recently, some Political Parties and individuals are raising issues about errors in the Electoral Rolls, including those prepared in the past. The appropriate time to raise any issue with the Electoral Rolls would have been during the Claims and Objections period of that phase, which is precisely the objective behind sharing the Electoral Rolls with all Political Parties and the Candidates,” the ECI said in a press release.

“Had these issues been raised at the right time through the right channels, it would have enabled the concerned SDM EROs to correct the mistakes, if genuine, before those elections," it added.

The commission underlined that draft electoral rolls are released in both digital and physical formats, distributed to political parties, and published on its website for public access.

It explained that the rolls are compiled by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) — officials of Sub-Divisional Magistrate rank — with the support of Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The responsibility for accuracy, it said, rests squarely with them.

The timing of the statement is significant as it came just a day before the Election Commission’s scheduled press conference at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, expected to touch upon recent political controversies.

The opposition, particularly the Congress, has been ramping up its criticism. Rahul Gandhi has accused the commission of enabling widespread voter manipulation during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to favour the BJP.

He alleged that fake voters were added to rolls in states such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.

Gandhi went further, claiming that over one lakh fraudulent votes were cast in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly segment under the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat — which the BJP won by 32,707 votes.

The Congress has since expanded its allegations to other constituencies, with Gandhi suggesting voter fraud may have altered results in as many as 70 seats where the party lost by fewer than 50,000 votes.