Patna: The Congress on Sunday levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission (EC), claiming that an “unprecedented” 89 lakh complaints filed by its Booth Level Agents (BLAs) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar were summarily rejected. The party demanded that the entire revision exercise be conducted afresh to ensure transparency and fairness ahead of the upcoming elections.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, chairman of the party’s media and publicity department, addressed a press conference in Patna where he accused the EC of deliberately sidelining genuine concerns raised by political parties. “The EC keeps getting news planted through its sources that no complaints are coming from political parties. The truth is that the Congress submitted 89 lakh complaints about irregularities in the SIR to the EC,” Khera said.

According to him, the party’s Booth Level Agents—grassroots workers who interact with voters and monitor electoral processes—had meticulously flagged irregularities such as duplication of names, deletion of eligible voters, and the inclusion of bogus entries. However, Khera alleged that when these complaints were submitted, the Election Commission refused to acknowledge them. Watch the clipping below:

“When our BLAs went to file complaints, their complaints were turned down by the EC. The EC categorically told our BLAs that complaints could be accepted by individuals only, not by political parties,” he said. Calling this a “flawed and discriminatory approach,” Khera argued that such a rule effectively silences organized scrutiny by political stakeholders.

The Congress leader further claimed that the scale of rejection raised questions about the intent of the Commission. “This is not just about Congress. If 89 lakh complaints are ignored in one state, what message does that send about the credibility of our elections? We demand that the entire exercise of electoral roll revision in Bihar be redone, transparently and fairly,” he said.

Khera’s remarks come at a time when opposition parties have repeatedly voiced concern over the functioning of the Election Commission, accusing it of bias and lack of accountability. Bihar, with its 40 Lok Sabha seats, is a politically crucial state, and any controversy over the electoral rolls is expected to become a flashpoint ahead of the 2026 general elections.

While the Congress has made its allegations public, the Election Commission has so far not issued an official response to Khera’s claims. Traditionally, the SIR of electoral rolls is meant to ensure accuracy in voter lists, weeding out duplication and adding new eligible voters. The rejection of such a massive volume of complaints, as claimed by the Congress, is likely to trigger debate about both procedure and transparency.

Political analysts say the dispute highlights growing mistrust between opposition parties and the Election Commission. “The perception of fairness is as important as the fairness itself. If lakhs of complaints are claimed to have been ignored, the EC will have to step forward with clarity; otherwise, confidence in the electoral process could be undermined,” said a Patna-based political commentator.

For now, the Congress has indicated it will escalate the matter both within Parliament and through mass campaigns in Bihar, demanding accountability from the Election Commission. Whether the EC addresses these allegations in detail remains to be seen, but the controversy has already added a fresh layer of tension to the political landscape of the state.