New Delhi: Leaders of major opposition parties launched a united attack on the Election Commission (EC) on Monday, accusing it of failing to safeguard the credibility of the country’s electoral rolls. The criticism came a day after the poll body rejected allegations of irregularities and defended its handling of voter lists.

At a joint press conference held at the Constitution Club of India in Delhi, members of the INDIA bloc along with other opposition leaders, including the Aam Aadmi Party, demanded accountability from the EC. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said action should be initiated against former election commissioners for allowing “fraudulent voter lists” and called for the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. She noted that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had repeatedly flagged duplicate voter identity cards, but the matter remains unresolved.

In Kolkata, Trinamool’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the EC of evading key questions raised by the Opposition. He said if the EC admits electoral rolls were not properly verified, the Union cabinet should resign and a fresh election should be conducted after a Special Intensive Revision. The party also moved the Calcutta High Court against the EC’s demand for details of block-level agents, questioning why such information was being sought almost a year before the polls.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, currently on a “Vote Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, alleged that millions of genuine voters had been denied their right to vote. In a post on social media, he said voters who had participated in multiple previous elections were now missing from rolls, describing it as “vote theft” carried out on orders “from above.” Gandhi vowed to continue the campaign until the issue was addressed.

Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, accused the EC of functioning under political influence and ignoring evidence presented by opposition parties. He cited unaddressed complaints of mass voter additions in Maharashtra, discrepancies in Karnataka, and missing polling booth video records.

Samajwadi Party leaders also alleged bias. Ramgopal Yadav recalled that affidavits had been submitted highlighting the deletion of around 18,000 names during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections but no corrective action was taken. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK leader M.K. Stalin also raised questions about the EC’s silence on major concerns flagged by the Opposition.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas accused the poll body of behaving like the “B-team of the BJP,” claiming it had effectively declared war on opposition parties. RJD MP Manoj Jha, however, ruled out the possibility of boycotting elections, saying the fight must remain within the constitutional framework.

The Opposition has also countered the EC’s claim that political parties did not object when draft rolls were circulated. Jha argued that block-level officers routinely delayed or discouraged Opposition representatives seeking corrections. DMK’s Tiruchi Siva demanded that the matter be discussed in Parliament.

Despite the EC’s insistence that electoral rolls remain robust, the Opposition maintained that unresolved discrepancies have undermined trust in the democratic process and warned of intensifying their campaign if corrective measures are not taken.