New Delhi, August 18
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday reiterated its demand that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, submit an affidavit to substantiate his claims of large-scale manipulation in the electoral rolls of a Karnataka Assembly constituency.
In his first press conference since taking charge, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, without directly naming the Congress leader, asked him to file the affidavit within seven days or issue a public apology. “You have to give an affidavit or apologise to the nation. If within seven days, the affidavit is not given, then it means the allegations are wrong,” Mr. Kumar stated.
The CEC also rejected Opposition demands for a machine-readable voter list and the release of CCTV footage from polling booths, citing concerns over voter privacy.
Background to the row
The controversy stems from Mr. Gandhi’s recent allegations of “deliberate, large-scale discrepancies” in the voter list of the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Bangalore Central, a constituency won by the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Following his charge, Chief Electoral Officers in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana had asked him to submit evidence under oath, which he has so far declined.
When asked why the Commission had not taken suo motu cognisance of the allegations, Mr. Kumar responded combatively: “If accusations are made against 1,50,000 people, then should all these voters be given notices without any evidence?”
Uneven application?
The CEC, however, did not respond directly to questions on why BJP MP Anurag Thakur — who recently made similar claims of discrepancies in the Rae Bareli voter list, represented by Mr. Gandhi — was not asked to file an affidavit.
Similarly, Mr. Kumar dismissed complaints filed by the Biju Janata Dal in Odisha and by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, pointing out that they were not submitted under oath and had crossed the statutory 45-day limit for filing election-related petitions.
“No discrimination”
Beginning his address, Mr. Kumar asserted that the Election Commission does not discriminate between political parties. “The Commission treats ruling and Opposition parties equally,” he said.
The demand for an affidavit from the Leader of the Opposition is likely to intensify the political tussle over electoral transparency, with the Congress expected to challenge the EC’s stance in the coming days.
