New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ charges a day after the latter accused the poll body of manipulating voter lists and colluding with the BJP to influence the election.
In a sharp response, the ECI described Gandhi’s accusations as “misleading and baseless”, asserting that the Congress leader should either sign a formal declaration as per the procedures laid down in the election rules or issue a public apology.
“If Rahul Gandhi stands by his statement, he should sign the declaration. If he does not, it raises serious doubts about the credibility of his allegations,” the Commission stated.
EC seeks apology over ‘misleading’ charges
The poll body added that failing to do so would suggest he lacks confidence in his own claims and should therefore issue a public apology for misleading citizens with what it termed “absurd conclusions.”
The Commission further emphasised that the electoral process in India is transparent and robust, with adequate safeguards to prevent manipulation or fraud.
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘atom bomb’ evidence against EC
At a press conference lasting over an hour, Rahul Gandhi levelled a series of serious allegations against the Election Commission, claiming to present “evidence” to back his charges. Gandhi shared multiple presentations, asserting that the Congress party had manually analysed the voter list and found several discrepancies.
He alleged that fake voters were created by duplicating names, using invalid addresses and attaching invalid photographs.
Citing a specific instance, Gandhi claimed that 100,250 votes were “stolen” in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Parliamentary constituency.
According to him, the Form 6 applications, which are meant for new voter registrations, contained hardly any entries from the 18–23 age group. Instead, the entries were dominated by individuals listed as being in their 50s and even 90s. -(IndiaTV)
