Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi on Sunday came down sharply on the Election Commission (EC) for the way it handled allegations of "vote theft" raised by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. He said instead of "shouting" at Gandhi in language that was "objectionable and offensive," the poll body should have ordered a probe into his charges.
In an interview with news agency PTI ahead of the launch of his new book 'Democracy's Heartland' (Juggernaut Books), Quraishi said, "Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) after all, don't shout at him the way the EC did. I think it is not like the EC that we have known. He is, after all, the LoP; he is not a man on the street. He is representing millions of people, he is voicing the opinion of millions of people, and to say to him, 'give an affidavit otherwise we will do this and do that', the body language and the language used are both objectionable and offensive."
Quraishi, who served as CEC between July 30, 2010 and June 10, 2012, stressed that the normal practice had always been to order a probe if any complaint was made. "Not only do we (EC) have to be fair, but we have to appear to be fair. The probe brings out the facts. So instead of the way the EC responded, the probe was the right thing to do, and they missed an opportunity," he asserted.
The EC, however, has consistently denied all allegations of "vote theft" and defended its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying the exercise is intended to clean up duplicate entries, remove ineligible names, and add eligible voters.
Yet, Quraishi took issue with the way the SIR was handled. He warned, "It is buying trouble. It is not only opening a Pandora's box, but I think the EC has put its hand in the hornet's nest, and it is going to hurt them."
Levelling charges of "vote chori", Gandhi had earlier cited data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to claim that over one lakh votes were "stolen" in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly segment through five types of manipulation, while also alleging irregularities in other states. He later carried out a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' across Bihar, accusing the EC of colluding with the BJP in the SIR of electoral rolls.
Responding to Gandhi’s claims, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had said at a press conference last month that Gandhi must file a declaration under oath within seven days or else his allegations would stand "baseless and invalid".
Quraishi, however, argued that the EC’s reaction was misplaced. "I have often said, suppose they (opposition) also turn around and say that 'ok you are coming up with a new roll, give an affidavit that it is mistake-free. And if there is a mistake, you will be held criminally liable'. Can you think of that situation?" he asked.
He acknowledged that many of Gandhi’s words — including his claim that he would soon reveal a "hydrogen bomb" of revelations -- fell into the realm of "political rhetoric". Still, he maintained that serious complaints should be investigated thoroughly. "If there are serious issues, serious complaints which he is raising, they need to be investigated in detail, not only to the satisfaction of the LoP but of the whole nation, the whole nation is watching," he remarked.
Quraishi admitted that public confidence in the electoral process has been shaken. He recalled his own tenure as CEC when he had instructed staff to give opposition parties priority. "They have to win the confidence of the people -- you need the confidence of the opposition parties. For me, I always gave preference to the opposition parties because they are the underdogs," he explained. "So the instruction generally to my staff (when I was the CEC) was to throw the doors open, if they (opposition) want an appointment, give them immediately, listen to them, talk to them, if they want some small favour, do it if it is not at the cost of somebody else."
He contrasted this approach with the present scenario, where, he noted, "the opposition has to go to the Supreme Court every now and then and in fact, 23 parties have had to say they are not getting an appointment, and nobody is listening to them."
An EC functionary, however, countered his criticism, saying, "We are holding regular meetings with the political parties. I think at no other time has this been in such a structured manner."
Turning to the question of electoral identity, Quraishi expressed surprise that the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) was excluded from the list of documents acceptable for inclusion in the voters’ roll. "Remember, it has taken the EC 30 years to reach 99 per cent or 98 per cent of the people, to bring the electoral roll to this level of perfection. One per cent is updated every year by door-to-door summary inquiry -- that is the normal thing. So to throw the existing roll in the dustbin and to start all over again. You are trying to do in three months what we had done in 30 years," he cautioned.
He added that the EC’s own ID card is even recognised internationally. "One thing that was pointed out to me by a former ambassador of India to Nepal is that we travel freely between India and Nepal on the basis of an identity card, and the best ID which is accepted is the voter ID card." He recounted that he himself had travelled to Nepal several times using the voter ID rather than a passport.
Warning of unintended consequences, he asked, "How many people in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand have a passport? Not even one per cent. What great inconvenience it will cause to the people. I don't think EC thought it through and that its implication is yet to dawn on people."
Quraishi said that while the Supreme Court had pressed for Aadhaar to be used, he remained puzzled as to why EPIC was not insisted upon. "Of course the Supreme Court has already asked to use Aadhaar, and because of the pressure of the top court, the EC has started using Aadhaar. But I am surprised the Supreme Court did not follow up on EPIC, which is the EC's own creation," he said.
With inputs from PTI
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