Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly criticised Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders for repeatedly using the term “vote chori” (vote theft), calling it a “dirty phrase” that undermines public trust in elections. The commission stressed that the principle of “One Person, One Vote” has been in place since India’s first general election in 1951-52 and urged anyone with evidence of double voting to submit it under a sworn affidavit instead of making unverified claims.
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations in Karnataka
On August 7, Rahul Gandhi alleged large-scale vote theft in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency, claiming over one lakh votes were “stolen” through duplicate entries, fake addresses, and bulk registrations. He said Congress’s internal analysis showed 100,250 fraudulent votes, adding that these discrepancies contributed to the party winning only nine out of the 16 Lok Sabha seats it had internally projected in Karnataka.
ECI’s Response and Rahul Gandhi’s Retort
Following the allegations, the ECI asked Gandhi to formally declare the alleged wrongful inclusions in the voter list to initiate legal proceedings. In response, Gandhi maintained that the data was sourced from the ECI itself and not fabricated by Congress. He challenged the commission to deny the voter list he referred to, asserting that the truth about such malpractice is known and widespread.
