Credibility of India’s Election Commission Under Scrutiny Amid Opposition Claims
India’s Election Commission (ECI), long regarded as one of the most trusted institutions in the world’s largest democracy, is now grappling with growing scrutiny over its credibility.
In recent weeks, opposition parties have accused the ECI of voter fraud, electoral manipulation, and discrepancies in voter rolls—allegations the commission has firmly rejected.
Widespread opposition protests have escalated,
with leaders threatening to initiate an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner However, the motion was not submitted before the end of the monsoon parliamentary session, and opposition parties currently lack the numbers needed to push it through.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched the Voter Adhikar Yatra (Voter Rights March)—a 16-day, 1,300 km campaign across Bihar—to protest alleged irregularities in voter lists. Bihar, gearing up for a crucial state election later this year, has become the epicenter of political unrest following a controversial voter roll revision.
Gandhi, citing data from the ECI itself, alleged massive voter list fraud, including over 100,000 fake entries in Karnataka alone—duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk registrations at single locations.
The ECI dismissed these claims as
“false and misleading,” while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the opposition of spreading baseless allegations out of fear of losing Bihar.
The controversy intensified after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in June and July, where ECI officials verified Bihar’s 78.9 million voters for the first time in over two decades.
Opposition parties allege the rushed process and strict documentation requirements disenfranchised thousands, especially migrant workers.
When the revised voter rolls were published on August 1,
reports highlighted numerous errors, including incorrect gender and photos, as well as the inclusion of deceased individuals.
The updated list now contains 72.4 million names—6.5 million fewer than before—with the ECI attributing the reduction to the removal of duplicate, deceased, and ineligible voters. Affected citizens have until September 1 to appeal for reinstatement.
India’s Election Commission Faces Fresh Criticism Over Voter List Controversy
Criticism against India’s Election Commission (ECI) has intensified after the agency published the names of 6.5 million excluded voters using scanned physical copies instead of machine-readable lists, drawing backlash from opposition parties.
Political leaders questioned why the ECI avoided releasing digitally verifiable voter data, which would allow independent analysts and political parties to cross-check the omissions.
The controversy escalated when India’s Supreme Court intervened, directing the ECI to provide a searchable digital list along with clear reasons for each voter’s exclusion.
An editorial in The Hindu described the court’s decision as a rebuke, calling it a reminder of the ECI’s “procedural shortcomings.”
In response to growing criticism, the ECI held a rare press conference on August 17, where Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar condemned opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims of “vote theft.”
He warned that labeling it as ‘vote theft’ and misleading citizens amounts to an affront to India’s Constitution” Kumar said.
He cited a 2019 Supreme Court ruling,
arguing that releasing machine-readable voter data could compromise citizens’ privacy. Kumar demanded that Gandhi either submit an affidavit proving his claims or publicly apologise for spreading “baseless allegations.”
However, instead of calming the storm,
his remarks triggered more political backlash. Opposition figures, such as Congress leader Pawan Khera, criticized Kumar for his confrontational tone, suggesting it resembled the stance of a BJP official
Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami offered perspective, noting that large-scale revisions often cause fluctuations in voter numbers.
He recalled how 5.2 million voters were removed from Karnataka’s electoral rolls in 2008, with nearly a million later reapplying for inclusion.
Gopalaswami also supported the ECI’s request for a formal affidavit,
saying that responding to allegations without a written complaint sets a poor precedent for such a key democratic institution.
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Bihar Elections Spotlight Growing Public Scrutiny of India’s Election Commission
With Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Rights March gaining momentum and the Bihar state elections approaching, the Election Commission of India (ECI) continues to face intense political and public pressure.
Speaking to BBC Hindi, senior journalist Smita Gupta said the opposition is expected to make the controversy a central campaign issue in the upcoming Bihar elections, regardless of the Election Commission’s response.
Beyond the immediate political battle,
experts warn that the controversy is eroding public trust in the ECI, an institution once seen as the backbone of India’s democracy.
Writing in The Indian Express, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi emphasized that while the framework for electoral transparency remains intact, the perception of impartiality is just as vital as the reality. “Reinforcing public trust is as important as ensuring technical accuracy,” he noted.
Recent data backs this concern.
A Lokniti-CSDS survey revealed a significant drop in confidence in the ECI across multiple states. In Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, the share of people expressing no trust in the Election Commission jumped from 11% in 2019 to 31% in 2025.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Kumar, head of the research agency, faced criticism from both the ECI and the BJP after apologizing for incorrect voter turnout data in Maharashtra.
However,
he cautioned that the survey results highlight a significant decline in public confidence toward the Election Commission
“It’s not just the opposition’s confidence in the ECI that has declined; public trust has also dropped significantly,” Kumar told The Wire. “The data clearly shows this is a growing problem the Election Commission must address.
