Election Commission of India’s Lack of Transparency Concerns

• ECI accused of maintaining secrecy and failing to publicly justify its actions, raising concerns about the credibility of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls.

• SIR exercise, involving verification of nearly 8 crore voters, has been criticized for lack of transparency.

• The deletion of 65 lakh voters’ names in Bihar’s draft voter list could potentially affect electoral outcomes.

• ECI failed to provide a full list of deleted names and reasons for deletion, making it difficult to verify the deletions’ justification.

• ECI’s sudden undertaking of the SIR raises questions about the reasons for the sudden exercise.

• ECI’s defense argues the current exercise mirrors 2003, but relevant documents are missing.

• Risks of opaqueness in the SIR process have serious implications for electoral democracy.