Punjab Newsline | New Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Centre of winning elections through alleged manipulation of voter lists and demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters alongside Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kejriwal referred to a recent media report and claimed it had validated AAP’s long-standing allegations regarding irregularities in the electoral process.
Kejriwal alleged that votes were being illegally added and deleted to influence election outcomes and described the matter as “the biggest scandal in independent India.” He further demanded legal action against the Chief Election Commissioner and called for a comprehensive investigation into the functioning of the Election Commission.
AAP chief argued that the Election Commission, which comprises the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, can take decisions only through consensus or majority approval. He alleged that several official communications and directives had been issued without the approval of the full Commission.
Citing reported correspondence from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, Kejriwal claimed concerns had been raised internally over orders being issued without formal authorization from the Election Commission. He alleged that key decisions were being taken without adequate consultation or approval.
Kejriwal also questioned the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls, alleging that it was carried out without proper authorization. He claimed that voter-list revisions conducted under the process were illegal and should be scrapped.
According to Kejriwal, powers traditionally exercised by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) at the local level had been curtailed, while access to voter-list management systems had been centralized. He alleged that this had enabled unauthorized alterations to electoral rolls.
Demanding corrective measures, the former Delhi Chief Minister called for the restoration of voter lists as they existed three years ago and sought fresh Assembly elections in states including Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Kejriwal said the alleged voter-list irregularities strike at the core of India’s democratic system and urged authorities to take immediate action. The Election Commission had not issued an immediate response to the allegations at the time of reporting.
The allegations made by AAP are political claims and remain subject to verification and official response.
