KPCC chief BK Hariprasad flags reported objections by two Election Commissioners

Bengaluru, Sept 23 : Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad on Wednesday stepped up his criticism of the Election Commission, saying questions raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over electoral rolls and the functioning of the poll panel could no longer be dismissed as mere political rhetoric.

Hariprasad was reacting to reports that two of the three Election Commissioners had raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period on various aspects of the electoral process.

According to the reports, the objections concerned issues including the addition and deletion of voters, restoration of names in electoral rolls, changes to Form 6, and the handling and centralisation of electoral-roll data. In one instance, an objection reportedly described an action as “unauthorised” and “illegal”.

“Rahul Gandhi had warned that questions over the Election Commission and voter lists could not simply be brushed aside. Now, two of the three Election Commissioners have reportedly objected at least 14 times in 10 months,” Hariprasad said.

He said the reported objections had brought the issue beyond the political arena and into the functioning of the Election Commission itself, strengthening demands for greater transparency in the management of electoral rolls.

“The Election Commission must answer. Indian voters need complete transparency,” he said.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions of an institutional split within the three-member panel. It has maintained that its decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were taken unanimously with the approval of all three Election Commissioners.

The developments have renewed debate over the decision-making process within the Election Commission and the safeguards governing the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.