'Bundle of Lies': Yogendra Yadav Slams EC, Poses 7 Hard Questions
Political activist Yogendra Yadav slams the ECI for filing a bundle of lies in the Supreme Court and poses 7 critical questions on voter rolls.
Political activist Yogendra Yadav has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the poll body has submitted a "bundle of lies" to the Supreme Court. In a sharp critique of the ECI's response regarding electoral roll revisions, Yadav asserted that the shadow of "vote theft" will continue to haunt the democratic process until the Commission provides transparent answers to seven specific, critical queries.
Questioning the Credibility of the Poll Body
Speaking to reporters, Yadav expressed deep skepticism over the credibility of the documents filed by the ECI before the apex court. He argued that the Commission is avoiding accountability and transparency in its administrative dealings. To expose these gaps, he laid out a series of demands for institutional clarity.
The First Three: Authority and Procedure
Yadav's first set of questions focuses on the decision-making process and the powers of electoral officers:
- Decision on SIR: He demanded to know the exact date, location, and authority under which the decision on the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) was taken, insisting that the official document be produced.
- Amendments to Form 6: He challenged the ECI's claim that Form 6 was not amended, asking whether the form could have been filed without the additional declaration introduced by the Commission. He argued that if the declaration was mandatory, an amendment had effectively occurred.
- ERO Powers: He questioned why Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of Maharashtra and Goa were repeatedly requesting that certain powers be granted to their Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) if the ECI claims those powers were never stripped away.
Concerns Over Voter Roll Manipulation
The activist further raised alarms regarding the handling of voter data, specifically citing irregularities in West Bengal and other regions.
The Bengal Anomaly and Software Logic
Yadav highlighted a suspicious pattern in West Bengal, where lakhs of applications and appeals were reportedly filed within a single minute. He demanded to know the name of the officer responsible for these filings and how decisions on such a massive volume of cases were reached in mere minutes.
Additionally, he sought clarity on the "logical discrepancy" software, asking who develops it, who makes the final decisions based on its output, who issues the notices, and what the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is for handling those notices.
Bulk Deletions and Legal Basis
Turning his attention to the legality of bulk filings, Yadav questioned the submission of Form 7 in large quantities. He asked under which specific law a government official is permitted to submit Form 7 and demanded that the ECI produce the legal provision allowing this.
He also pointed toward Pilibhit, questioning the procedure used for the bulk filing of Form 8s and expressed concern that such patterns might be occurring across the entire country.
A United Front: The November 1 Mega Rally
Yadav warned that public trust in the electoral system is at stake as long as these seven questions remain unanswered. He linked these grievances to a massive upcoming demonstration in the national capital.
Addressing the planned protest at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, Yadav described the event as "extraordinary and unprecedented." He revealed that various entities have now merged into a single, consolidated movement, including:
- The INDIA bloc
- Various youth organisations
- Civil society groups
- The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP)
The Core Demands
According to Yadav, the diverse groups have set aside separate agendas to focus on three primary demands:
- The immediate resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
- The repeal of the 2023 law.
- The withdrawal of the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR).
"There are no different issues or different demands; there is only one demand... The whole country is united, and there is only one date: November 1, Ramlila Maidan," Yadav stated.