The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has welcomed the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) August 16 press note as a “long-overdue admission” that individual electors are equal stakeholders in maintaining the integrity of electoral rolls, an acknowledgement previously reserved largely for political parties.

However, CHRI has sharply criticised the commission for failing to address the systemic issue of accountability among electoral officials responsible for finalising faulty voter lists, calling the omission a glaring abdication of the ECI’s constitutional duty under Article 324.

CHRI Director Venkatesh Nayak noted that until now, political parties were treated as the sole interest groups in safeguarding roll integrity, while the role of ordinary electors was neglected. “This recognition by the ECI is a big change,” Nayak said. “For years, parties were the only recognised stakeholders, managing chauki-khatas and reviewing drafts. Now, at last, voters themselves are acknowledged as equal partners in this vital democratic process.”