BENGALURU: In an interesting twist that could reshape the narrative around electoral integrity, the chief electoral officer of the Election Commission of India has come out with a detailed clarification, claiming that all recognised political parties, including Congress, were handed over draft and final electoral rolls during the special summary revision, ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha.
In all, 9,17,928 claims and objections were received during the process, the CEO revealed, asserting that no appeals were filed against any additions or deletions. But not everyone is buying the narrative. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Director Venkatesh Nayak calls it “a half circle of transparency”.
Welcoming the rare disclosure of district-wise data, Nayak demanded that the missing pieces — how many claims and objections were accepted or rejected — be released immediately. “It’s baffling that not a single appeal was filed. Are we to believe that nearly a million electoral modifications were flawless,” he wondered.
Nayak hinted at a possible “cover-up”, stating that under current regulations, most original records — applications, claims and objections — would have already been destroyed at the district level because of the one-year retention rule. “What is this data based on? Can it even be verified,” he asked.