In the wake of allegations of voter fraud, opposition leaders are raising concerns about the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Congress MP Manish Tewari has voiced a "trust deficit" with the ECI, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is pressing for reforms.

Tewari stated that the ECI faces a serious "trust deficit" as it carries "very little conviction" and almost "zero credibility". He outlined that the poll body is facing a challenge of "trust deficit". Tewari has also said that democracy is based on public trust, and if there is a widespread distrust in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the ECI should introspect. He added that the ECI is only the arbiter, not the controller, of the democratic process.

Yadav has alleged bogus voting and irregularities in recent Uttar Pradesh by-elections, urging the ECI to investigate. He accused the BJP of manipulating votes and facilitating "vote loot," further criticizing the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and officials for alleged interference. He asserted that the Election Commission and the government should make solid arrangements to avoid "bogus voting". Yadav also alleged that the ECI had ignored complaints by the Opposition over electoral malpractice and that officials colluded with the ruling BJP to “loot votes”.

Yadav recalled previous elections where his party accused the ECI of deleting 18,000 SP votes without explanation, even though those voters had voted in the past. He said that the Commission took no action against responsible officials, which, according to him, compromised the fairness of elections.

Tewari suggested that if there is a trust deficit in using EVMs, the Election Commission of India should consider using paper ballots. He stated that if stakeholders are apprehensive about the machines being tampered with, the ECI should explore shifting voting to paper ballots.

Yadav welcomed a Supreme Court directive mandating transparency in electoral roll revisions, allowing voters to challenge deletions, viewing it as a safeguard for democratic processes against alleged vote manipulation. He said that the BJP has the skill of how to cut votes and that political parties will be able to save their votes at the booth level after this decision.