Alleging that the Election Commission of India’s integrity has been compromised, civil rights activists in Chennai on Saturday, October 25, signed a ‘People’s Resolution’ calling for the formation of a new, independent Election Commission and the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.
The resolution was adopted at the National Conclave on Democratic Governance and Citizens’ Rights, held by the Madras School of Social Work. The conclave was attended by retired Madras High Court judge Justice Hari Paranthaman, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) general secretary V. Suresh, IAS officers R Balakrishnan and MG Devasahayam, transparency activist Anjali Bharadwaj, and Dr. V Ponraj, former scientific advisor to the late President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Speakers at the event warned that recent actions by the Election Commission and alleged manipulations of the electoral rolls had “compromised electoral integrity” and posed a grave threat to Indian democracy.
The People’s Resolution expressed deep concern over what it described as the “collapse” of free and fair elections since 2024.
“The last two years have proven beyond doubt that the conduct of elections, which had been relatively free and fair, has now collapsed with deceitful and unconstitutional interventions. As a result, an illegitimate government at the Centre has come into being,” the resolution stated.
“A biased government, a partisan Election Commission, a doctored voters’ list, and a manipulated counting process have resulted in a Lok Sabha born out of compromised electoral integrity. This government must be dissolved to reset the democratic process.”
The resolution called for 100% VVPAT verification, decentralisation of the Election Commission, and stronger state-level mechanisms to protect voter rights. It rejected what it described as a “partisan ECI” and “doctored” voter rolls prepared under the SIR process in Bihar and elsewhere, denouncing what it termed a “stolen mandate government” at the Centre.
The signatories demanded the formation of a new, independent Election Commission through a transparent and non-partisan process. They also sought the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, urging that any deletions or additions to voter rolls be made only after notifying voters or their families, as directed by the Supreme Court.
The resolution further demanded that voter lists be made available online in machine-readable formats, along with open access to proof of vote data and postal ballot facilities for migrant workers.
Participants also criticised the 2023 amendment to the appointment process of Election Commissioners, which replaced the Chief Justice of India on the selection committee with a Union minister. The appointment of current Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, made under the new system, was cited as controversial, with Opposition parties having challenged its validity before the Supreme Court.
The conclave concluded with a call for an independent investigation into civil society concerns over electoral manipulation and renewed emphasis on transparency in electoral processes.
Back in August, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had accused the ECI of colluding with the BJP in what he termed “vote chori,” alleging bogus entries in voter rolls, destruction of CCTV footage, and withholding of electronic voter data. The ECI dismissed those allegations as “incorrect and baseless”, demanding evidence through a sworn affidavit.