Don’t Blame Election Commission for Poll Defeats, Says Karnataka BJP MLC CT Ravi

Chikkamagaluru: Karnataka BJP MLC and former minister Dr C.T. Ravi has hit out at Congress leaders over their criticism of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying political parties should also examine the reasons behind their electoral performance.

Reacting to allegations concerning the Election Commission’s functioning, Ravi said parties making serious claims about electoral processes should place documentary evidence and specific details before the public.

“An election ultimately reflects the voters’ mandate. Allegations about the Election Commission, voter lists or electronic voting machines should be backed by evidence,” Ravi said.

Ravi referred to the Congress’ performance in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the party won 44 and 52 seats respectively. The Election Commission’s official electoral statistics record the same figures.

He questioned why the party’s current criticism of electoral procedures should be linked to earlier election defeats, which occurred before the recent SIR exercise in Bihar.

On the SIR exercise, Ravi said that if there were instances of wrongful deletion of voters, the allegations should be supported with details such as the affected constituency, number of voters and the specific circumstances involved.

The Election Commission’s official record shows that the Bihar SIR was conducted from June 24 to September 30, 2025. The Commission said 65 lakh electors were removed from the draft list, while 21.53 lakh eligible electors were subsequently added through Form 6 applications. The final electoral roll contained around 7.42 crore electors.

Ravi said the SIR process should not be treated as something introduced only recently, arguing that electoral rolls have undergone intensive revisions in the past as well.

Ravi also questioned criticism directed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in connection with elections held before he joined the Election Commission.

According to the Election Commission, Kumar became an Election Commissioner on March 15, 2024, and assumed charge as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner on February 19, 2025.

“Gyanesh Kumar could not have been responsible for the outcome of the 2014 or 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which took place before his tenure in the Commission,” Ravi said.

Ravi said political parties have every right to question the functioning of constitutional institutions, but argued that such criticism should be accompanied by records and evidence.

He also referred to the Election Commission’s structure as a multi-member constitutional body. The Commission currently lists Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as Election Commissioners.

Ravi urged Congress leaders to examine factors such as party organisation, leadership, candidate selection, alliances and voter sentiment while assessing electoral setbacks.

“If there are specific concerns about the electoral process, they should be pursued through appropriate legal and institutional channels with supporting documents,” he said.