NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Saturday pushed back against allegations of large-scale manipulation of voter lists, stressing that political parties had ample opportunity to scrutinise the rolls during the official “claims and objections” period but failed to raise concerns in time.In a statement, the poll panel said that some parties and their booth-level agents “did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any.” It underlined that this window is designed precisely to allow parties and electors to check the draft lists and seek corrections before they are finalised.The EC noted that physical and digital copies of draft rolls are routinely shared with recognised parties, besides being uploaded on its website for public access. Once published, the final list is again circulated to all political parties, and a system of appeals is in place for anyone dissatisfied with the decisions of the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).The commission maintained that it continues to welcome scrutiny of the rolls, saying, “Such oversight helps the EROs identify and rectify mistakes, ensuring the purity of the electoral roll, which has always been our objective.”
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