Following allegations of "vote chori" made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from at least three states are demanding that he provide evidence to support his claims. The CEOs of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana have requested that Gandhi share the names of electors who were wrongfully included or excluded from voter lists, along with a signed declaration, to initiate necessary proceedings.
The demand for proof comes after Gandhi alleged "vote chori" of 1,00,250 votes in a Karnataka constituency, citing issues such as duplicate voters, fake addresses, bulk voters at single addresses, invalid photos, and misuse of Form 6. He also claimed voter fraud in Maharashtra and Haryana during recent assembly polls.
In response, the Karnataka CEO sent a letter to Gandhi requesting that he sign and return a declaration/oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the names of the electors in question, to enable a detailed inquiry. The CEO emphasized that electoral rolls are prepared transparently, following the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and Election Commission instructions. It was also pointed out that the latest electoral rolls were shared with Congress representatives as per procedure.
The Maharashtra CEO indicated that Gandhi's party had not filed any appeals or second appeals before poll authorities regarding flaws in the voters' list. The CEOs are requiring specific details for investigation and are cautioning against false declarations. They are seeking affirmation that Gandhi's allegations of wrongful voter inclusion/exclusion are true to the best of his knowledge.
Election Commission sources have stated that Gandhi should either sign the declaration and submit the list of individuals he claims were wrongfully included or removed from the voters' list, or he should refrain from misleading the public with baseless accusations against the poll authority.
Adding to the pressure, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi, requesting documents to substantiate his allegations of "vote theft" in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment. The ECI is seeking documents that were presented by Gandhi as evidence from the ECI's records.
Specifically, the Karnataka CEO has addressed Gandhi's claim that a 70-year-old voter, Shakun Rani, voted twice in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls based on ECI data. The CEO's office conducted a preliminary inquiry and found that Rani had voted only once. The CEO has requested that Gandhi provide relevant documents supporting his conclusion that Shakun Rani or anyone else voted twice, to facilitate a detailed inquiry.
Furthermore, the Karnataka CEO stated that a tick-marked document shown by Gandhi as "EC data" appeared fabricated, based on information in Form 17A maintained by polling officers. The CEO has asked Gandhi to provide the documents on which he based his allegations, so a detailed inquiry could be conducted.
The officials have also indicated potential legal repercussions for presenting a "forged document". Rahul Gandhi must also declare that he understands that presenting false evidence or making a false declaration in connection with the electoral roll shall invite a jail term of up to three years (seven years if the false claims are repeated in court) under Section 227/229 of BNS and up to a year's imprisonment under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
