The Election Commission of India has issued a stern ultimatum to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, directing him to either provide an affidavit within seven days that substantiates his allegations of "vote chori" or issue a public apology to the nation. The Commission clarified that if no affidavit is submitted, the accusations would be deemed entirely false and without foundation. This demand came in response to Gandhi’s repeated claims of irregularities in the voting process, which the Commission strongly rejected as baseless and misleading.
During a press conference held in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar firmly dismissed allegations of double voting and so-called “vote theft,” underscoring that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision process was being conducted with utmost transparency. He reiterated that the Election Commission was committed to ensuring fairness and credibility in the electoral rolls and rejected any suggestion that the process was manipulated or compromised.
The Commission went further, criticizing Gandhi’s language and describing the term “vote chori” as an affront to the Constitution and to democratic institutions. Gyanesh Kumar asserted that such rhetoric only weakens public trust in democracy and accused certain political leaders of misusing the Election Commission as a tool to create distrust among voters for political benefit. He emphasized that the Commission, by contrast, was working impartially and steadfastly to protect the rights of all citizens.
Speaking with forceful conviction, Kumar declared that the Commission would always stand firmly alongside voters of every section of society—whether rich or poor, men or women, young or old, and across all religions—without any bias or discrimination. He warned that attempts to politicize the role of the Commission by falsely targeting it through baseless allegations were unacceptable and would not succeed in undermining its credibility or the trust of the electorate.
On the issue of double voting, Kumar clarified that while a handful of voters had raised doubts, no verifiable evidence was provided to back such claims. He dismissed the charges outright, stressing that neither the Election Commission nor the citizens of India were intimidated by unfounded allegations. According to him, the absence of evidence made it clear that such claims were politically motivated and had no factual basis.
The controversy intensified after Rahul Gandhi, while launching his Voter Adhikar Yatra in Sasaram, Bihar, expressed discontent with what he called the Commission’s selective approach. Gandhi questioned why only he was being asked to furnish an affidavit when BJP leaders had previously made similar allegations during press conferences without facing the same demand. He argued that the data he referred to belonged to the Commission itself and accused the institution of applying different standards to opposition leaders.
The Voter Adhikar Yatra, spearheaded by Gandhi, has been designed to raise awareness about alleged electoral discrepancies and highlight what the Congress party describes as systematic irregularities. The campaign will travel across more than 20 districts in election-bound Bihar. At its launch, Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as Rashtriya Janata Dal stalwarts Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, signaling a united opposition front ahead of the upcoming polls.
