New Delhi. Amid protests by the opposition and CJP, 124 former bureaucrats have come forward in support of the Election Commission. Retired IAS and IFS officers have written an open letter to the countrymen, in which they have raised questions about the credibility of the Election Commission and the SIR process, saying that if there has been vote rigging as is being alleged, then credible evidence should be presented. Former bureaucrats said such claims without evidence could weaken public trust in democratic institutions.
Do you doubt the system, or do you only doubt the result? In an unsparing open letter, 124 former IAS, IFS, and Allied Service officers have defended the Election Commission of India and statutory roll revisions like the Special Intensive Revision. Their message directly calls out the opposition for its desperate attempts to undermine our constitutional pillars. Having conducted elections across decades, these veteran officers understand that our democratic framework does not run on blind faith. It relies on verifiable checks, dual-party seals, and strict judicial oversight. The people of India see straight through the opposition's hollow narrative. You cannot celebrate the machinery when it hands you a victory and cry fraud the instant the ballot rejects you.
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 10, 2026
Former officials highlighted India's transformation from the era of booth capturing, fake votes in ballot boxes and electoral violence during elections, saying that today's electoral system has multiple levels of scrutiny and security measures in place, including polling agents, EVM sealing, strong-room security and VVPAT verification. He gave the example of Bihar's 2025 assembly elections, in which there was no re-polling and the highest turnout since 1951. He said that in a democracy it is the right of every citizen to raise questions but it is the responsibility of the accuser to present evidence to prove his point.
#WATCH | Jaipur, Rajasthan: Mahendra Kumar Parekh, a retired IAS officer and a signatory of the open letter, says, “SIR is not a new procedure; the purification of voter lists has been an ongoing process. It has happened numerous times since independence and is carried out in a very systematic manner. This is necessary because the names of deceased voters need to be removed, addresses change, and sometimes the same name appears in multiple locations; hence, the lists require periodic cleaning… I have conducted elections at every level, and the task of purifying voter lists takes place under the supervision of the District Election Officer… I feel that an atmosphere is being created in the country that could lead to a state of anarchy. I must say that raising questions about democratic institutions in this manner is inappropriate.” 124 Former IAS, IFS, and allied services officers have issued an open letter to the citizens of India, strongly defending the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, while questioning allegations of vote rigging without credible evidence.
— ANI (@ANI) October 10, 2026
Former bureaucrats said that we have spent our careers conducting and studying elections and we know what a rigged election looks like. He also said that it cannot happen that someone becomes honest when you win the election and the same system becomes rigged when you lose the election. Former officers said that under this Election Commission, the ruling party at the Center, BJP, has lost the elections in many states and also lost its majority in the 2024 general elections. Therefore, you should ask yourself whether you have doubts on the system or only on the results of the elections.