Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Thursday (October 1, 2026) slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged illegalities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Mr. Bhattacharya said that reports emerging indicated that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took decisions within the three-member Election Commission without the consent of the other two members.
He said this during a Jan Sunwai (public hearing) in Patna on the issue of wrongful SIR deletions in Bihar. The hearing was organised by the Bihar State CPI (ML) Liberation and was based on the findings of a voter verification survey conducted by the party in the districts of Siwan, Gopalganj, Bhojpur, Buxar, Patna, Arwal and Jahanabad.
Mr. Bhattacharya mentioned that the door-to-door survey has covered 102 booths in the ten constituencies, which include Bhore (SC), Darauli (SC), Jeeradei, Paliganj, Ara, Agiaon (SC), Tarari, Dumraon, Arwal and Ghosi.
“The survey teams physically verified lists of deleted voters in these 102 booths, taking into account SIR deletions as well as pre-SIR deletions between January 2024 and June 2025. Among the 9,288 voters deleted in 50 of these 102 booths during the SIR process, 1,550 voters were found alive and residing at their addresses, thus confirming at least 17% error in SIR deletions,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
He added that the survey verified the availability of 351 voters among 1,964 voters deleted in 24 booths before SIR, indicating a very high 18% rate of pre-SIR deletion. In particular, the survey found at least 36 voters deleted as ‘deceased’ very much alive during these door-to-door verification visits, he said.
He alleged that today, the Election Commission is making a mockery of the Constitution, the law, and the spirit of justice.
“The country is also faced with the question when the general public is grappling with inflation and an economic crisis, why shouldn’t there be transparency regarding the functioning and expenditure of constitutional bodies?”he asked.
Around 20 voters whose names were allegedly deleted presented their testimonies before a five-member jury comprising Prof. Bharati S Kumar (former Head of the History Department, Patna University), Prof. Ramashankar Arya (former Vice-Chancellor, VKSU Ara), former Bihar Assembly speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary, former Congress legislature party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) vice president Pushpendra.
The jury found the SIR deletions thoroughly unfair and called for action against the CEC, scrapping of SIR and restoration of the voting rights of all wrongfully deleted voters. The public hearing also discussed the decisions taken at INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi and resolved to launch an intensive mass campaign in defence of the principle of universal adult franchise.
Mr. Bhattacharya also said that the situation has now reached a point where the public is not choosing the government; instead, the government is deciding whom the public should elect.
“Today, the threat is not limited to votes alone; the voter base, ration entitlements, and other civil rights of voters are also being affected. On the other hand, a lack of accountability is evident in the conduct of public representatives. In some instances, people are slapped, while in others, the arrogance of power is displayed instead of answering the public’s questions,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
He also said that complaints regarding the removal of a large number of names from electoral rolls have surfaced in Delhi as well, apart from Bihar and West Bengal.
Jury member Prof. Bharti S. Kumar stated that the survey results are deeply shocking and alarming, adding that a survey of 100 polling booths revealed a large number of voters who are alive but whose names are missing from the electoral rolls. He added that this situation raises serious questions about the functioning of the Election Commission.
He added that the CEC must be held accountable for these irregularities and he should resign from his post immediately.
Published – October 02, 2026 10:29 am IST
