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124 Former Officers Defend Election Commission and Bihar Voter Roll Revision
A group of 124 former government officers wrote a letter defending India’s Election Commission and its review of voter lists.
They said people have the right to question elections, but should provide evidence when they say an election was rigged.
The officers pointed to steps that let candidates’ representatives observe parts of voting, counting, and the handling of voting machines.
They said Bihar’s 2025 election had no re-polling, the state’s highest turnout since 1951, and record participation by women.
They also said a review of Bihar’s voter list found deceased and duplicate entries and added new voters.
According to the letter, people can raise concerns about voter lists through claims, objections, hearings, and appeals.
The letter came amid Opposition protests and allegations of electoral irregularities.
The officers warned that unsupported claims could make people trust elections less.
An open letter signed by 124 former civil servants defended the Election Commission of India and its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The signatories said accusations of rigging should be supported by credible evidence and pursued through legal channels, warning that unproven claims can weaken public trust.
They cited the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, saying it had no re-polling, the state’s highest turnout since 1951, and record participation by women.
The letter described safeguards including polling agents, signed vote accounts, sealed EVMs, monitored strong rooms, and VVPAT checks.
The officers said Bihar’s SIR identified about 22 lakh deceased electors and seven lakh duplicate entries, and added roughly 21.5 lakh new voters; they also cited procedures for claims, hearings, and appeals.
- Who
- 124 former IAS, IFS, and other civil-service officers, defending the Election Commission of India.
- What
- They issued an open letter backing the Commission and Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, and called for evidence to support rigging allegations.
- Where
- India, including Bihar; the reported protests took place in Delhi.
- When
- The letter was issued on Saturday; it cited the 2025 Bihar Assembly election.
- Why
- The signatories said voter-list revisions help maintain accurate rolls and that unproven rigging claims can undermine trust in democratic institutions.
Opposition critics
Former officers
Allegations of electoral irregularities
Opposition critics
Opposition leaders have alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and vote theft, and protested against the Election Commission.
Former officers
The former officers said claims of rigging require credible, verifiable evidence and warned that unsupported accusations can erode public trust.
Special Intensive Revision
Opposition critics
Opposition leaders have raised concerns about electoral rolls and the electoral process; the articles do not detail a specific Opposition response to the SIR figures.
Former officers
The officers defended the revision as a way to identify deceased, duplicate, and permanently shifted voters, while citing procedures for objections, hearings, and appeals.
Key facts
- Signatories
- 124 former IAS, IFS, and allied-services officers
- Institution defended
- Election Commission of India
- Voter-list exercise
- Special Intensive Revision (SIR), including Bihar’s revision
- Bihar election cited
- The officers said the 2025 Assembly election had no re-polling, the highest turnout since 1951, and record participation by women.
- Bihar SIR figures
- About 22 lakh deceased electors and seven lakh duplicate entries identified; roughly 21.5 lakh new voters added.
- Safeguards cited
- Polling-agent observation, signed vote accounts, sealed EVMs, monitored strong rooms, and VVPAT checks.
- Concerns and remedies
- The letter cited draft rolls, claims and objections, hearings, and appeals as safeguards against wrongful exclusion.
Quotes
Former civil servants who signed the open letter
A group of at least 124 former civil servants with experience in India’s electoral process.
“We have conducted or studied India’s elections all through our lives. We prepared the rolls, trained polling parties, sealed strong rooms and supervised counts. We belong to no party. We write because one word, ‘rigged’, is now thrown at our elections without evidence, and every repetition wounds democratic trust that belongs to all of us.”
thehansindia.com
NDTV
“If the system you call rigged is the same one that handed you your victories, ask yourself whether it is the system you doubt, or only the result.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
Former civil servants involved in earlier poll processes seek proof from those calling system ‘rigged’
'Proving Is The Accuser’s Duty': 124 Former Civil Servants Back Election Commission, Defend SIR, Question Vote-Rigging Claims
'Do You Doubt System Or Result?' 124 Ex-Bureaucrats, Diplomats Back Poll Body
124 former IAS and IFS officers back EC, SIR; reject unfounded 'rigged' claims
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