NEW DELHI: A group of 124 former IAS, IFS and allied services officers has issued an open letter to citizens defending the Election Commission (EC) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, arguing that allegations of vote rigging must be backed by credible evidence.Citing safeguards in the electoral process, past election results and data from Bihar’s 2025 Assembly polls, the signatories have challenged claims questioning the credibility of the EC and the need for SIR.The officers said India’s electoral system had evolved significantly from an era marked by booth capturing, ballot-box stuffing and electoral violence. They cited multiple safeguards in the present system, including polling agents, electronic voting machine (EVM) sealing, strong-room security and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) verification.Referring to the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, the signatories said the polls recorded no re-polling and the highest voter turnout since 1951.“A system cannot be honest when you win and rigged when you lose,” the letter said, pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the government at the Centre, had lost several state elections under the same EC and also lost its parliamentary majority in 2024.The signatories include former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal and former IAS officers R D Kapur, Samirendra Chatterjee, Gopal Krishna, Vivek Bhardwaj and Navneet Sehgal.Defending the EC’s independence, the officers highlighted its multi-member structure and institutional safeguards. They also drew a distinction between questioning the electoral process and substantiating allegations against it.“Questioning is every citizen’s right. Proving is the accuser’s duty,” the letter said.On SIR, the officers argued that the exercise was necessary to maintain accurate electoral rolls. Citing figures from Bihar, they referred to around 22 lakh deceased voters and seven lakh duplicate entries identified during the revision, alongside the addition of approximately 21.5 lakh new voters.
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“An uncleaned roll does not protect the voter. It protects the fraudster,” the letter said.The officers also pointed to safeguards available during SIR, including notices, hearings, appeals and the participation of political parties’ booth-level agents. They said the Supreme Court had scrutinised the exercise, prescribed additional safeguards and upheld the EC’s authority to undertake it.Concluding their argument, the signatories urged critics to examine allegations against the electoral system consistently, irrespective of election outcomes.“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,” the letter said.
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