ECI Defends Voter List Integrity Amid Allegations of ‘0 House Number’ Entries

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday addressed allegations raised by several political parties regarding errors in the voter list, particularly complaints about entries showing "zero" as house numbers or voters with incomplete addresses.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in a press conference, clarified that such cases do not reflect irregularities but are part of a long-established system to ensure no eligible voter is left out. "Everyone in this country does not have a permanent house. Some live under bridges, some under streetlights. In many villages, houses do not have formal numbers. That does not mean they are not voters of India," he said.

Explaining further, Kumar cited examples of remote and unique situations where the Election Commission takes extra steps to include every citizen. In Arunachal Pradesh, he said, there exists a village with only one registered voter, and yet polling officials trek difficult terrain to ensure that person can vote. Similarly, in Gujarat's Gir forest, a monk without a permanent home is also enrolled, with officials recording his residence as "temporary house" in the system.

"When no house number exists, election officers record '0' as a placeholder in the voter database. This does not mean the voter is fake or the entry is incorrect," Kumar clarified.

Reaffirming the ECI's commitment to fair elections, he stressed that the system is designed to empower every eligible voter, regardless of their economic or social circumstances. "Our responsibility is to make sure that no citizen is deprived of their democratic right, whether they live in a remote forest, an unnamed village, or under an open sky," he said.

The Commission dismissed the allegations as unfounded and urged political parties to refrain from questioning the credibility of the electoral process without facts.