Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc banner staged a fierce counter-attack against the Election Commission of India (ECI), a day after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar demanded Congress leader Rahul Gandhi either submit his allegations in a sworn affidavit within seven days or apologise to the nation.
Eight major opposition parties - Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPIM), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - held a joint press conference at the Constitution Club in Delhi to challenge the ECI's stance.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh launched the most scathing attack on the CEC, suggesting his name should be "Agyanesh Kumar" due to what he termed ignorant statements.
"Either he is a fool, or he is deliberately acting like a fool, or he considers us fools," Singh said. "He is making such illogical statements that we are astonished. He did not answer even a single question that was asked to him."
Singh specifically questioned the deletion of 65 lakh votes during the Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) process between 25 June and 25 July, whilst no votes were added in Bihar.
Here, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi raised concerns about the ECI's impartiality, pointing to the commission's silence on the hasty SIR process in Bihar and the addition of 70 lakh new voters between the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
"It is clear that EC is under such officials who are not unbiased," Gogoi stated, criticising the commission for questioning political parties rather than explaining their own procedures.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra lashed out at poll body, describing the CEC's press conference as an "absolutely shameful display of puppetry."
"The job of the Election Commission is not to attack the Opposition. Mr Chief Election Commissioner, I would urge that you go back to your political masters," Moitra said.
RJD MP Manoj Jha invoked constitutional principles, warning the CEC against treating the Election Commission as synonymous with the Constitution itself.
"EC is not synonymous with the Constitution, but rather it is born from it. Don't rip it to shreds," Jha said, describing the Constitution as protection that "cannot be a shield for your defiance of Constitutional propriety and morality."
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav highlighted alleged vote-cutting processes in Uttar Pradesh, calling it a "calculated" effort that the EC ignores.
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva questioned the CEC's failure to clarify recent Supreme Court directions regarding the publication of details about 65 lakh voters, emphasising that the issue affects ordinary citizens rather than just political parties.
The controversy stems from allegations about irregularities in electoral roll revisions and voter deletions, with opposition parties questioning the transparency and timing of these processes. The ECI's demand for a sworn affidavit from Rahul Gandhi has further escalated tensions between the commission and opposition parties.
