India's voter list process most rigorous & transparent: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Amid the latest Congress allegations over the sanctity of electoral rolls, chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asserted on Tuesday that India's process on drawing up electors' rolls were "one of the world's most rigorous and transparent exercises", involving active participation and data sharing with all political parties.

The CEC underscored the "statutory sharing of India's electoral rolls with all recognised political parties every year during revision as well as before the elections since 1960 till today, with provision of claims, objections and appeals" developing "one of the world's most rigorous and transparent exercises, reinforcing the accuracy and integrity of the electoral process".

In his keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity, he said this "robust mechanism plays a vital role" in "upholding electoral credibility across the country, year after year".


The CEC also drew attention to the massive scale of the election exercise undertaken by the ECI and how the same, especially in case of the Lok Sabha polls, is done under the 'close watch' of the political parties, candidates, police and expenditure observers and the media who are akin to 'concurrent auditors' at various stages.