Living people are being declared dead on voter lists, while the dead are being kept alive to vote. We are told India’s strength is its “Unity in Diversity,” but does that mean the Election Commission can cram 509 people from different communities into a single house that doesn’t even exist?
Welcome to the shocking state of Indian democracy in 2024. A series of explosive press conferences by both the opposition and the ruling party have blown the lid off what appears to be a systematic hijacking of the electoral process. And at the center of this storm is the very institution meant to be its guardian: the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who seems more interested in gaslighting the entire nation than ensuring a free and fair election.
Let’s dive deep into this issue, leaving no stone unturned.
The Three Press Conferences That Shook the Nation
- August 7th – Rahul Gandhi Exposes the Scam: The Congress leader dropped a bombshell. His team presented a forensic investigation not of a state, but of a single assembly segment—Mahadevapura, within the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat. They alleged over 1,00,000 fraudulent votes through five specific methods. The winning margin for the BJP in that seat was just 32,707. The math is simple and terrifying: democracy was potentially stolen.
- August 13th – BJP’s Anurag Thakur Agrees (Accidentally?):Â The BJP leader also held a press conference, claiming “doubtful voters” and alleging foul play. While he blamed the opposition, he inadvertently confirmed the core issue: our voter lists are compromised.
- August 17th – The ECI’s Meme-Worthy Defence:Â Everyone expected the ECI to provide a strong, data-backed rebuttal. Instead, Gyanesh Kumar’s bizarre statements turned the serious issue into a meme-fest, leaving more questions than answers.
The Burning Question: Where is the Evidence? Answer: In the ECI’s Pocket
When confronted, the ECI chief thunders, “Where is the evidence? Bring the evidence!” The irony is laughable, because the ECI is sitting on all the primary evidence, and is actively trying to destroy it.
The single most crucial piece of evidence is CCTV footage from polling booths. It can instantly verify or debunk claims of suspicious voting patterns, like the one in Maharashtra where the ECI claimed a massive voter turnout after 5:30 PM, while Congress workers on the ground saw no queues.
So, what did our “unbiased” ECI do? They issued a directive allowing polling officers to destroy all CCTV footage 45 days after an election.
When asked why, Gyanesh Kumar gave an excuse that will live in infamy: “How can we show videos of our mothers and sisters? Should we share CCTV videos of our mothers, wives, and daughters?”
Arre Baap Re! Is he talking about a polling booth or someone’s bathroom? A polling booth is a public place. People come there fully clothed. Nobody is asking to see faces; we just need to see the crowd to verify if the ECI’s claims of massive queues are true. What is the point of installing CCTV cameras if you can’t use them to ensure transparency, especially when such grave allegations are made?
Even AI models, when asked a simple logic question, unanimously agree that an innocent Election Commission would preserve CCTV footage to prove its integrity, not destroy it.
The Root of the Problem: How a ‘Yes Man’ Can Become the Umpire
Why is the ECI behaving this way? The answer lies in how its members are appointed.
In a landmark 2023 judgment (Anoop Baranwal vs. Union of India), the Supreme Court ordered a neutral selection committee for Election Commissioners: The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India. This was a balanced, logical system.
But the government didn’t like this. They passed a new law, kicking the Chief Justice of India out of the committee and replacing him with a Union Cabinet Minister. Now the committee is 2:1 in favour of the government. They can appoint whomever they want. To make matters worse, they added a clause giving the commissioners immunity from any civil or criminal proceedings for their official actions. Even if there’s proof of deliberate wrongdoing, you can’t touch them.
It was through this compromised system that Gyanesh Kumar was appointed. Now, when he’s accused of being biased, he sits on all the evidence and challenges the public to prove it.
The Voter List Tamasha: A Comedy of Errors, or a Deliberate Tragedy?
If the CCTV issue is shocking, the state of our voter lists is a horror story.
- Chai with the Dead: In Bihar, a “Special Intensive Revision” (SIER) of voter lists is happening. For the first time in Indian history, this “revision” has led to zero additions and the deletion of 65 lakh names. Activist Yogendra Yadav brought two people to the Supreme Court who were declared “dead” on the lists. Rahul Gandhi had “Chai with the Dead” to highlight their plight. These aren’t just numbers; they are Indian citizens whose most fundamental right is being stolen.
- The Magical Houses of Bihar:Â A report by The Reporter’s Collective found surreal entries:
- In Pipra constituency, 509 voters from various castes are registered to a single address in Galiimpur village. The catch? The house does not exist.
- Another dream house has 459 registered voters.
- In just three constituencies, there are nearly 3,600 cases of 20+ voters at a single address, many of them fake.
- My Father’s Name is YTDTR:Â The ECI’s defence is that many people can have the same first name, like ‘Piyush’. Fair enough. But can they all have the same father’s name? The same address? Can anyone’s father’s name be “YTDTR”? This isn’t a typo; this is junk data polluting our sacred electoral rolls.
When The Fraud Was Caught Red-Handed
This isn’t just theory. We have seen this theft happen in real-time.
- Chandigarh Mayor Polls: The Returning Officer, Anil Masih, was caught on camera defacing ballot papers to make an opposition candidate lose. The Supreme Court called it a “murder of democracy” and overturned the result because the CCTV footage was public. This is what the ECI wants to avoid.
- Viral Videos from UP:Â A boy proudly recorded himself voting for the BJP eight times. Another man confessed to a journalist that he had cast six votes for the BJP.
- The Haryana Panchayat Case: A candidate lost an election. He fought a legal battle for 33 months. The Supreme Court finally ordered a recount from the EVM. The result? The loser had actually won. This proves that without scrutiny, declared results can be wrong.
Conclusion: This Isn’t Congress vs BJP. It’s You vs a Hijacked System.
The BJP leaders argue that any complaint must be filed as an election petition within 45 days. They are technically correct. But how can anyone file a petition without evidence? And how can anyone get evidence when the ECI is hoarding it and has ordered its destruction?
This is not a political game. When a young man’s first vote is stolen, when a poor citizen declared “dead” loses their voice, when an entire election result can be flipped by fraud in one area, it is an attack on the very soul of India.
Gyanesh Kumar has made a mockery of his constitutional duty. The moral responsibility lies with the ECI to prove its innocence, restore faith in the system, or resign. This is your vote, your democracy, and your country. The fight is not just for a party, but for the principle of “One Person, One Vote.”
This blatant disregard for transparency from a constitutional body echoes the kind of institutional breakdown that allowed financial fugitives like Vijay Mallya to escape justice.
The Reporter’s Collective or The Indian Express on the voter list irregularities in Bihar.
news article explaining the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Anoop Baranwal vs. Union of India case.