'Either sign declaration or apologise for absurd allegations': Election Commission on Rahul Gandhi's "vote theft" claim

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday asked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to sign the declaration by Chief Electoral Officers of Maharashtra and Karnataka or apologise for his "absurd" allegations, sources said.

"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,” ECI sources told news agency ANI.

The poll body asked the Congress Member of Parliament (MP) to apologise if he does not sign the affidavits.

"If Rahul Gandhi does not sign the Declaration, it would mean that he does not believe in his analysis and resultant conclusions and absurd allegations. In which case, he should apologise to the nation. Therefore, he has two options: Either sign the Declaration or apologise to the Nation for raising absurd allegations against ECI," sources said.

EC’s response comes after the Lok Sabha lawmaker alleged that 1,00,250 "fake votes" were polled in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, resulting in a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victory.

In a strongly worded letter, The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) responded to his allegations, asking him to sign an affidavit, reported ANI.

"It is understood that during a Press Conference held today, you had mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls cited at Para 3. You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed Declaration/Oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated..." the Karnataka CEO stated in a letter, asking him to submit a sworn affidavit and provide specific evidence.

"It is understood that during a Press Conference held today, you had mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls...You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed Declaration/Oath along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated," the CEO's letter to Gandhi further stated.

The CEO also reiterated that the electoral rolls were "prepared in a transparent manner," and noted that both the draft and final electoral rolls were shared with the Congress in August and September 2024.

"The electoral rolls were shared in August 2024 and September 2024, and the party did not file any appeals during that time," the CEO added.

(With ANI inputs)