New Delhi, July 25 -- Facing criticism over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday questioned whether the Election Commission (EC) should come under influence and allow deceased persons, permanent migrants, foreign voters, or voters registered at multiple locations to remain on the electoral rolls. "The Constitution of India is the mother of Indian democracy... So, fearing these things, should the Election Commission, getting misled by some people, pave the way for some to cast fake votes in the name of deceased voters, voters who have migrated permanently, voters who have got their votes registered at two places, fake voters or foreign voters, going against the Constitution, first in Bihar, then in the entire country?" Kumar's statement read. "Isn't the authentic voter list being prepared by the Election Commission through a transparent process, the foundation stone for fair elections and a strong democracy? On these questions, sometimes or other, all of us and all the citizens of India will have to think deeply, going beyond political ideologies. And perhaps the most appropriate time for this essential thinking for all of you has now arrived in India," it further said. Kumar's comments come amid increased attacks by opposition parties, who have alleged that the revision exercise would disenfranchise crores of legitimate voters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, speaking in the parliament premise on Thursday, escalated his allegations against the Election Commission, accusing it of "enabling" electoral fraud in Karnataka. He claimed his party has "100 per cent proof" of voter manipulation. "Not 90 per cent, when we decide to show it to you, it is a 100 per cent proof," Gandhi said. "I want to send a message to the Election Commission: If you think you are going to get away with it, if your officers think they are going to get away with it, you are mistaken. You are not going to get away with it, because we are going to come for you," he said. According to Gandhi, the Congress found thousands of unauthorised new entries of voters aged 50, 60, and 65, and deletions of legitimate voters above the age of 18, in one constituency in Karnataka. "We just looked at one constituency and we found this. I am absolutely convinced that constituency after constituency this is the drama that is taking place. Thousands and thousands of new voters, how old are they? 45, 50, 60, 65, thousands and thousands of them in one constituency. This is one thing, voter deletion, voter addition, new voters who are way above 18 (is going on)... so we have caught them," he said. He also alleged similar manipulation was happening in Bihar during the ongoing SIR. Responding to the allegation, Kumar said, "If an EP has been filed, then wait for the verdict of Hon'ble High Court. If not, then why make baseless allegations now?" Meanwhile, the Commission, in a press note issued on Thursday, said that the SIR exercise in Bihar aims to ensure that no eligible voter is left out. The booth-level lists of deceased electors, those who have permanently migrated, or those who have not filled forms were shared with all parties on July 20. It said claims and objections can be filed by parties until September 1, 2025....