Mon Aug 18 12:21:38 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the given text:
**Opposition Parties Accuse Election Chief of Bias, Demand Answers on Voter Roll Revisions**
**New Delhi, August 18, 2025** – A coalition of opposition parties today launched a scathing attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of acting as a spokesperson for the ruling BJP and failing to adequately address concerns regarding irregularities in voter lists and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Leaders from eight parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), voiced their concerns at a joint press conference following a meeting to discuss the matter. They alleged that Kumar dodged their questions during his own press briefing on Sunday, instead choosing to criticize the opposition.
“The right to vote is the most important right,” said Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi. “But we can see that the CEC did not reply to the important questions being raised by the political parties, and is running away from its responsibility.”
The opposition leaders questioned the timing of the SIR, initiated just three months before upcoming elections, and the lack of consultation with political parties beforehand. They demanded transparency and an inquiry into alleged irregularities, claiming that some Election Commission of India (ECI) officials were actively obstructing investigations.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav highlighted previous instances of inaction, citing 18,000 voter deletions reported by his party in 2022 where no action was taken despite providing affidavits.
TMC’s Mahua Moitra went further, arguing that if the voter list used in the last general election was indeed fraudulent, the Lok Sabha should be dissolved and legal action taken against former and current Election Commissioners.
RJD leader Manoj Jha quipped, “Yesterday we were looking for our CEC, we found a new BJP spokesperson.”
The opposition’s accusations follow CEC Kumar’s Sunday statement defending the SIR in Bihar as an effort to rectify shortcomings in voter lists. He dismissed allegations of double voting and vote theft as baseless misinformation being spread by unnamed parties “firing from the ECI’s shoulder.” Kumar insisted that all stakeholders are working transparently to ensure the success of the SIR.
The escalating tensions surrounding the voter roll revisions raise concerns about the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the upcoming elections.
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