New Delhi [India], August 17 : Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday refuted all the recent "vote theft" claims made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on the Election Commission of India (ECI) while addressing a press conference in the national capital.
He termed allegations of bias by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabhas an "insult" to the Constitution of India. CEC also asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to either furnish a signed affidavit or apologise to the nation for his remarks.
"An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi (There is no third option.) If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless." CEC Gyanesh Kumar said while addressing mediapersons.

Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha hit back at the CEC Gyanesh Kumar alleging that the ECI is asking for an affidavit from him but doesn't from BJP MP Anurag Thakur when he makes the same allegations.
"The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him," Rahul Gandhi said.
The issue attracted reactions from the Oopposition parties instantly as Congress leader Pawan Khera said that it appeared as though a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was speaking rather than the CEC.
"It seemed like BJP was speaking today. Did he give any response about the 1 lakh voters we exposed in Mahadevapura? We had hoped that today he would answer our questions. They say privacy is hampered in 45 days, then why isn't it hampered in those 45 days?" Khera told ANI.
Rahul Gandhi had on August 7 addressed a press conference in New Delhi which he presented Congress' research on voting in Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka, a part of the Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency. Gandhi alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) of 1,00,250 votes including duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk registrations of votes at single locations.
Rahul Gandhi further pointed out an instance of 80 people registered in a single address in Mahadevapura.
Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the poll body is "destroying evidence" through the directive deleting CCTV footage from polling booths. He alleged that the EC was only preserving CCTV and webcasting footage of the election process for only 45 days after the whole process is completed, unless the election result is challenged in court.
The CEC said, "We saw a few days ago that photos of many voters were presented to the media without their permission. Allegations were made against them, they were used. Should the Election Commission share the CCTV videos of any voter including their mothers, daughters-in-law, daughters? Only those whose names are in the voter list cast their votes to elect their candidate."
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha on Sunday said that nothing concrete was addressed by the Election Commission of India in its media interaction.
"This institution (Election Commission) was born from the Constitution, it is not the Constitution. I would request them (Gyanesh Kumar) to recall Sukumar Sen (Former Chief Election Commissioner of India). In today's press conference, no burning question was answered, the Constitution cannot be torn to shreds in the name of the Constitution," Manoj Jha told ANI.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Maji on Sunday asked the Election Commission of India to clarify the "authentication" of documents presented by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, when he put up "vote chori" (vote theft) allegations on the polling body.
"The Supreme Court has stated that if people have doubts about Bihar, the Election Commission should make the figure of 65 lakh (excluded or deleted from Bihar draft electoral voters list) public. The issues raised by Rahul Gandhi and the documents he showed, claiming they are from the Election Commission. the Election Commission should clarify whether these documents are authentic or not, only then will the truth come to light," Maji told ANI.
The CEC in his briefing on Sunday refuted the allegations of an increase in voters in Maharashtra. Kumar asked why there were no objections submitted during the preparation of the voter list.
Gyanesh Kumar said that till date, the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra has not received the name of a single voter with proof.
"Allegations were made that the voter list in Maharashtra had increased. When there was a draft list, why were the claims and objections not submitted on time? When the results came, then it was said that this was wrong. To date, the Chief Election Officer of Maharashtra has not received the name of a single voter with proof. It has been eight months since the elections were held," Kumar said.
"Some voters alleged double voting. When asked for proof, no answer was given. Neither the Election Commission nor any voter is afraid of such false allegations. When politics is being done by targeting the voters of India by keeping a gun on the shoulder of the Election Commission, today the Election Commission wants to make it clear to everyone that the Election Commission fearlessly stood like a rock with all the voters of all sections and all religions including the poor, rich, elderly, women, youth without any discrimination, is standing and will continue to stand," the CEC said
CEC said that the Election Commission had replied that if there is voting for 10 hours, then the average rate per hour is 10 per cent.
"It was also asked how so much voting happened in the last one hour? The Election Commission had replied that if there is voting for 10 hours, then the average is 10 per cent every hour. If you keep saying anything 10 times, 20 times, it does not become true. The sun rises only in the east. It does not rise in the west just because someone says so," he said.
During his press conference, Gyanesh Kumar also assured that the officials of the Election Commission of India are working towards making Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar a "huge success".
Gyanesh Kumar mentioned that the doors of the Election Commission are always open to everyone and the poll body is working together with everyone in a "transparent" manner.
This comes amid heavy criticism of the ECI by the opposition parties over the recent SIR of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state of Bihar.
"The truth is that step by step all the stakeholders are committed, trying and working hard to make the SIR of Bihar a complete success. When more than seven crore voters of Bihar are standing with the Election Commission, then neither can any question mark be raised on the credibility of the Election Commission nor on the credibility of the voters," CEC Gyanesh Kumar said.