‘Modi and Shah biggest threat to democracy’:INDIA bloc writes to CJI, alleges electoral rigging

The INDIA bloc has written a joint letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), raising concerns over the impartiality of the Election Commission and seeking judicial intervention in the electoral process. In the letter, the alliance urged the court to halt the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for upcoming elections to be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The letter, dated 28 June, was made public by the opposition on today. The alliance clarified that its concerns are directed at the functioning of the Election Commission and not at the judiciary. While releasing the letter, Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal said- Electoral democracy in our country faces the most serious threat from the Modi-Shah regime. In the interest of transparency, and in the hope that the Supreme Court will take immediate and concrete steps to restore fairness, accountability and public trust in the electoral process, I am making this letter public. The future of democracy is fraught with serious consequences A letter signed by leaders of 24 opposition parties, including independent MP Kapil Sibal, states that the future of democracy is fraught with serious consequences when institutions themselves become instruments of oppression and advance the government’s agenda. Judges do not live in isolation. You are also aware of the ground realities. Even when every possible remedy fails, people still trust the judiciary. Therefore, when the judiciary fails to respond, it signals the complete collapse of the republic. The leaders said they are approaching the court because they believe that democratic institutions are under pressure and in many cases, election results do not accurately reflect the will of the people. Opposition alleges Election Commission appointments have favoured govt since 2014 In its letter to the Chief Justice of India, the INDIA bloc alleged that the Election Commission’s independence has steadily eroded since 2014. The opposition claimed that, apart from a few exceptions before 2014, the integrity of Election Commissioners was rarely questioned. However, it alleged that successive appointments made by the government since then have been of individuals closely aligned with the ruling dispensation, accusing them of acting in ways that favour the government and influence electoral outcomes. The opposition also raised concerns over the conduct of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that his actions during the electoral process have reflected a clear bias in favour of the BJP. Referring to the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Anoop Baranwal case, the alliance argued that the court’s concerns over the process of appointing Election Commissioners remain valid and warrant continued judicial scrutiny. Opposition claims govt has not released Bangladeshi infiltration figures Parties questioned the legitimacy of SIR, stating that the political rhetoric associated with this process focused on the alleged infiltration of Bangladeshis into Bihar’s voter lists. Now that the Bihar assembly elections are over, there is no data to suggest that such infiltration actually occurred. Additionally, the Election Commission did not make public any figures regarding the number of Bangladeshis who illegally obtained voting rights in India. The situation in West Bengal worsened, where the opposition stated that the government was surrounded by the presence of 2.4 million CAPF personnel. To understand this, 35 lakh CAPF personnel were deployed for the entire 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Complaints were also made about the arbitrary removal of voters and the exclusion of approximately 25 lakh voters due to logical inconsistencies under this previously unused category. The letter states – “We believe that the recent elections in Delhi, Haryana, and Maharashtra were also rigged.” The opposition has demanded an immediate suspension of the widespread revision of the voter list, arguing that such a revision should only be done when the next assembly election is at least five years away. They say this will facilitate the commission’s representatives to verify voters door-to-door, rather than through the documentary process that was never adopted before. ​