The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi to either sign a formal declaration backing his allegations of “vote chori” or issue a public apology, terming his claims “absurd” unless supported by evidence.
The directive follows Gandhi’s accusation that over 1 lakh votes were manipulated in a Karnataka constituency. In a press conference on August 7, he alleged there was a “vote chori” of 1,00,250 votes, including 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk or single-address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos, and 33,692 voters who misused Form 6 for new registrations. Gandhi described this as “criminal evidence” gathered through party research and accused the EC of destroying such proof nationwide.
“If Rahul Gandhi believes in his analysis and believes that his allegations against ECI are true, he should have no problem in signing the Declaration,” sources told news agency ANI. “If Rahul Gandhi does not sign the Declaration, it would mean he does not believe in his own analysis and conclusions. In that case, he should apologise to the nation,” they added.
Citing letters from Chief Electoral Officers in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana, the EC urged Gandhi to submit specific details of disputed voters under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, to enable formal investigation.
Rejecting the need for an affidavit, Gandhi said his public statements should be treated as binding. He accused the EC of colluding with the BJP and criticised its practice of preserving CCTV and webcast footage for only 45 days, calling it “evidence destruction” in the digital era.
The ECI maintained that without specific names and proof, the allegations could not be acted upon and warned against unsubstantiated claims that could undermine public trust in the electoral process.
