Election Commission Refutes Rahul Gandhi's Claims of Voter Roll Irregularities in Karnataka
Election Commission Responds to Allegations
On Wednesday, the Election Commission rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claims regarding irregularities in the electoral roll for an Assembly constituency in Karnataka, labeling them as "false and misleading."
In a statement shared on social media, the electoral body emphasized that any modifications to the electoral roll must adhere to established legal procedures, asserting that no individual can compel the removal of a name without following the proper process.
"If anyone genuinely believes in their analysis and accusations regarding wrongful name inclusions, they should have no issue presenting such evidence to the electoral registration officer (ERO) along with a signed declaration and oath as per the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960," the Commission stated.
Earlier, on August 7, Gandhi claimed that his party had dedicated six months to scrutinizing the electoral rolls in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency, discovering discrepancies affecting over one lakh names.
He alleged that these findings indicated a collusion between the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Gandhi pointed out that the electoral rolls contained 11,965 duplicate entries, 40,009 voters with invalid or fake addresses, 10,454 "bulk voters" registered at a single address, 4,132 voters with invalid photographs, and 33,692 cases where Form 6 had allegedly been misused.
Form 6 is the application used for registering new voters, as per the Election Commission.
The Commission reiterated that if a non-elector claims wrongful inclusion of a name, they must file an application with the electoral registration officer, who will then administer an oath according to the rules.
In response to the Election Commission's request, Gandhi remarked on August 8 that he had already taken an oath as a member of Parliament, questioning why the Commission required him to substantiate his allegations of "vote theft" under oath.