'Vote chori' a poll-time noise: Ex-election chiefs rebut Opposition charges

Three former Election Commissioners dismissed allegations of ‘vote chori’ as political rhetoric, saying India’s elections are largely free and fair.

At the India Today South Conclave on Monday, SY Quraishi, OP Rawat, and Ashok Lavasa noted that while such claims are common during polls, the electoral process in India is widely recognised as credible and praised globally. However, they underlined the need to ensure clean and accurate voters’ lists, calling them the foundation of fair elections.

Lavasa remarked that elections in India are by and large fair, adding that no one can truly determine who voted for whom, making the expression of ‘vote chori’ political in nature. Rawat described such rhetoric as inevitable during election seasons, observing that parties pull out all stops to win. Quraishi, meanwhile, stressed that concerns about voter rolls are valid, warning that inaccuracies in the lists remain India’s soft underbelly.