TNI Bureau: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das today strongly criticised Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of acting in favour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and failing to uphold its constitutional responsibility.

Bhakta Das alleged that the Election Commission is systematically removing genuine voters from electoral rolls in several states, thereby depriving citizens—particularly the poor and marginalised—of their fundamental right to vote. He claimed that under the present Commission, voter deletions have reached an unprecedented scale.

Citing figures, the OPCC chief said around 65 lakh voters were removed from the electoral rolls in Bihar, while nearly three crore names were reportedly deleted in Uttar Pradesh following court-related processes. Similar instances, he alleged, have occurred in other states as well, which he described as a serious assault on democratic rights.

He also took exception to the CEC’s three-day visit to Odisha, particularly his repeated visits to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, at a time when the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is underway in the state. He remarked that religious visits could not absolve the Election Commission of alleged administrative lapses.

“After committing such acts, daily darshan will not erase the wrongdoing. Lord Jagannath sees everything,” Bhakta said, questioning the moral authority of the poll body’s leadership.

Turning to Odisha, the OPCC president claimed that thousands of eligible voters, especially from marginalised sections, have found their names missing from the updated electoral rolls ahead of the next election cycle. He demanded immediate corrective measures to restore public confidence in the electoral process.

Calling for accountability, Das said the CEC should take responsibility for the alleged failures and step down if he is unable to ensure free and fair elections.

The ongoing electoral roll revision in Odisha aims to update records for about 3.32 crore voters, remove duplicate entries, include newly eligible voters and rationalise polling stations. CEC Gyanesh Kumar is currently on a three-day official visit to the state beginning Saturday.