New Delhi [India], August 8 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to sign the declaration by Chief Electoral Officers of Maharashtra and Karnataka or apologise for his "absurd" allegations, sources said.
ECI 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 asked Rahul Gandhi 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.
This comes after Rahul Gandhi claimed 1,00,250 "fake votes" in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka to ensure a win for the BJP.
The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) responded in a strongly worded letter asking him to sign an affidavit.
"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 letter stated.
On Gandhi's allegations of "voter fraud" in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) asked 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 Rahul Gandhi said.
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.