Opposition flays CEC Gyanesh Kumar for 'partiality', seeking Rahul Gandhi's apology

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Opposition parties on Monday accused the ECI of partiality and deviation from its constitutional duty - an allegation that came a day after CEC Gyanesh Kumar ticked off the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for levelling unsubstantiated charges of wrongdoings on the poll body and sought an apology.

In a joint statement, the Opposition parties said that the ECI has completely failed in discharging its constitutional duty of ensuring a free and fair electoral system.

“It has now become clear that the ECI is not being led by officers who can ensure a level playing field. To the contrary, it is now clear that those who lead the ECI divert and thwart any attempt at a meaningful inquiry into voter fraud and instead opt to intimidate those who challenge the ruling party. This is a serious indictment,” said the statement.

The acerbic statement, allegedly questioning the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) impartiality, was signed by representatives of the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party-SP, AAP and the Left.

Referring to the 90-minute media briefing by CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday, the Opposition parties said, “The CEC gave no clarification or comment on the Supreme Court's order of August 14, 2025, which rejected all their arguments seeking to prevent the release of basic data of the 65 lakh voters deleted in Bihar. The SC directed them to publish the names of the same along with the reasons for deletion.”

The Opposition parties said the CEC offered no comment or clarification on why the Bihar SIR was being conducted in such a hasty, ill-prepared and ad-hoc manner.

Pointing towards the questions raised by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the statement said, “The CEC offered no clarification or comment on the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi, on the voter fraud unearthed in Mahadevapura, except to reiterate his legally infirm demand for the data to be placed on affidavit.”

Furthermore, the CEC refused to answer any hard questions with regard to why no inquiry or investigation had taken place on the allegations of voter fraud, the statement said.

On Sunday, CEC Gyanesh Kumar admonished Gandhi for his incendiary allegations of electoral theft, demanding either a formal affidavit substantiating his claims or a public apology to the nation.

The Commissioner’s remarks, delivered with gravitas befitting the constitutional office he holds, cast a long shadow over the Opposition’s nascent campaign narrative.

The controversy erupted following Gandhi’s launch of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ — a 1,300-kilometre march from Sasaram in poll-bound Bihar — intended to galvanise public sentiment against what he termed “vote chori” in the electoral rolls.

--IANS

rch/dan