New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday rejected as “misleading” a report published by The New York Times that cited Opposition leaders’ allegations of voter list manipulation. In a fact-check issued to counter the NYT article titled “Hundreds of Indian Lawmakers Detained at a Protest Claiming Vote Rigging”, the poll panel shared a social media post containing links to videos that show the “actual truth at the field level” regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. These videos feature testimonials from representatives of several political parties, including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Left.

The ECI dismissed as “incorrect” the statements made by agitating Opposition leaders over the alleged “voter list manipulation.” It detailed the meetings held with political parties before the publication of the draft electoral roll in Bihar, at the time of publication, and after its release, stressing that the exercise had been conducted with the highest levels of transparency. Reiterating that pure electoral rolls strengthen democracy, the ECI also reissued the official order for the ongoing SIR in Bihar.

The fact-check came a day after the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, led a united protest march by the INDIA Bloc parties from Parliament to the ECI headquarters at Nirvachan Sadan in Delhi.

The poll panel further circulated its daily bulletin on the SIR, which showed that even 12 days after the publication of the draft electoral rolls, no political party had filed any complaint. According to the bulletin, the Bihar Chief Electoral Office (CEO) and the team of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have already disposed of 341 claims and objections submitted directly by electors for the inclusion of names in the draft voter list or the removal of ineligible voters.

So far, the election office has received 13,970 claims and objections from electors regarding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. As per the norms, the concerned ERO or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) disposes of such claims and objections only after a seven-day period following verification of eligibility documents.

The ECI also reported that since August 1, as many as 63,591 new voters in Bihar — all of whom turned 18 after the start of the SIR process — have submitted forms for inclusion in the electoral roll.

With inputs from IANS