Most transparent: Poll body chief defends electoral rolls prep amid rigging claim
The preparation of voters' lists in India is one of the world's most rigorous and transparent processes, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told an international conference in Sweden amid allegations of poll rigging and fudging in voter data.In his keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity on Tuesday, Kumar said that the voter list in India is revised every year and during the process, each addition and elimination is shared in detail with the recognised national and state parties in adherence to the law.advertisementThe CEC said the electoral rolls have been shared with political parties since 1960 with provision for objections, appeals and claims. His remarks came soon after allegations by Opposition parties claiming fudging of voter data. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently alleged poll rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections. The poll body has dismissed the charges and called them absurd.
Kumar asserted the role of the Election Commission in capacity-building schemes for election management bodies, and also stressed India's electoral integrity, diversity and scale. In his address to more than 50 global election management bodies, the CEC talked about the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saying 743 political parties participated, including six national parties.He also highlighted that with more than 200 million personnel, including police forces, polling staff, political party agents and observers involved in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission became the world's largest organisation. He said that with a cumulative workforce of many national governments and global corporations, India's electors are freely able to exercise their franchise.Must Watch
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