124 former bureaucrats defend election commission, slam vote-rigging claims

A group of 124 former civil servants has released an open letter defending the Election Commission of India and rejecting recent vote-rigging allegations as baseless.

The retired IAS and IFS officers emphasized the robust safeguards in India's modern elections, such as EVM security, strong-rooms, and VVPAT verification, contrasting this with past eras of booth capturing. They cited the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, which saw record turnout and zero re-polling, as proof of the system's efficiency.

Criticizing selective outrage, the letter noted, "A system cannot be honest when you win and rigged when you lose." The officers pointed out that the central ruling party has also lost multiple state elections under the exact same electoral watch, underscoring the commission's impartiality.