In his final presser as CEC, Rajiv Kumar rebuts electoral manipulation claims, praises voter's maturity & highlights key poll reforms

New Delhi: As he is all set to hang his boots as Chief Election Commissioner after Delhi Assembly elections, Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday rebutted allegations of manipulation raised by the Opposition on various aspects of electoral process  while insisting that voter's maturity is huge in India.

In one full cycle of elections to 30 states and union territories since 2020, he said 15 different parties emerged with maximum seats in different states, which reflects how deep rooted was fairness in the country's democratic system. 

Kumar was appointed an Election Commissioner in September 2020 and would be retiring on February 18 after completing 65 years of age. He was chosen as Chief Election Commissioner in May 2022 and Delhi elections on February 5 would be the last election he would be leading.

Asked about the reforms needed in conducting elections, Kumar he said the EC is ready with a protocol for remote voting and using 'totaliser' to hide booth-wise voting pattern but for its implementation, a political consensus for implementation. 

On the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules 1961 to restrict access to certain "documents", including CCTV footage of polling booths, he rebuffed claims that transparency was impacted. It was meant to protect voters' privacy, he said.

"If footage of 10.5 lakh polling stations in the country is given out, it would mean data of around one crore hours. A person will need 3,600 years to go through the recordings if watched for eight hours daily," he said.

Amid a series of allegations over deletion and addition of votes from electoral rolls, Kumar insisted that the process is "transparent, rigorous, and immune to arbitrary changes". No deletion can occur without thorough documentation, field verification, and giving the concerned individual an opportunity to be heard, he said adding, if it is the case of a person passing away, the death certificate is needed.

He said regular meetings are held with the representatives of political parties, who have the right to appoint booth-level agents (BLAs), and weekly lists of claims and objections are shared and both draft and final rolls are published on the Election Commission's website. Polling station rationalisation is also carried out with the consultation of all stakeholders, he said.

He also said allegations of mass deletions are misleading without evidence and undermine public trust in the system. Defending EVMs, he referred to various court judgements and said that various processes were done in the presence of political party representatives. 

Kumar also dismissed Opposition allegations of increase in voter turnout from 5 PM onwards, manipulation of EVMs, mismatch in votes polled and counted, slowing down of counting and amendment in rules to restrict transparency.