<h1>Former election chief says regulator should immediately investigate vote theft claims and avoid roll revision that undermines accuracy</h1> A former chief election commissioner criticized the poll regulator's handling of allegations by the Leader of the Opposition that votes were stolen, saying the regulator should have ordered an immediate investigation rather than demanding an affidavit and using objectionable language. He advised that probe procedures create transparency and public confidence, and warned that the special intensive revision of electoral rolls risks undermining decades of roll accuracy and provoking legal challenges. He also questioned excluding the regulator's own voter ID from acceptable proof and noted the court-driven use of a national ID system. The remarks stress procedural fairness, duty to investigate complaints, and potential legal and reputational consequences for the regulator.