Rahul Gandhi (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday escalated its battle with the Election Commission, claiming that a Right to Information (RTI) response has exposed “serious contradictions” in the poll body’s stance over the ongoing row over recently conducted special intensive revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar.Taking to X, the Congress asserted that its RTI query revealed “no records of ‘independent appraisal’ behind special intensive revision (SIR),” raising serious questions about transparency. The grand old party also demanded that the EC clarify the contradictions and make all related documents public.The Congress post read: “The Election Commission, in response to RTI applications, has made startling admissions that raise grave concerns about transparency and accountability.”
It then detailed three key points from the RTI responses:
- “When asked to provide the independent appraisal/study it had cited before the Court as the basis for conducting the 2025 Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the ECI replied that no such information exists.”
- “When requested for files, notings, and approvals leading to the nationwide SIR decision, the Commission admitted that no such records are available.”
- “In another RTI seeking the 2003 Bihar electoral roll revision order and guidelines, instead of producing the relevant records, the ECI diverted the applicant to a 2025 order, raising further doubts.”
Alleging a contradiction between the EC’s statements in court and its RTI replies, Congress said: “These replies expose a serious contradiction between what the ECI stated in court and what it has disclosed under RTI. If no independent appraisal or records exist, on what basis were such crucial decisions taken?”
The party then laid down three demands for the EC:
1. “Disclose all documents, studies, and notings related to the SIR decision.”2. “Clarify why it misled the Supreme Court with claims of an ‘independent appraisal’.” 3. “Stop withholding past records and make them public.”The Congress post concluded: “Democracy depends on trust in institutions. The Election Commission must come clean or risk eroding that trust irreparably.”The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise carried out by the Election Commission to update electoral rolls. It was recently conducted in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. As part of the process, officials conduct house-to-house enumeration to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible name is included.
