Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 10 : BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana on Sunday hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his "vote theft" claims against the Election Commission of India, calling it just his "frustration."
Hitting further, the BJP MP stated that wherever they win the elections, the ECI and EVMs are right.
Speaking to ANI, Khatana said, "...This is just his frustration, when the public rejects them and these types of statements are given to stay in the limelight. Wherever they win the elections, the ECI, EVMs are right...He knows that the public of Bihar and West Bengal will vote for the BJP..."
Earlier today, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to submit documents to inquire into his "vote theft" allegations against the Election Commission of India.
In a notice issued on August 10, the Karnataka CEO stated that Rahul Gandhi has claimed to have documents presented during his August 7 press conference from the Election Commission of India records, alleging that a voter, Shakun Rani, voted twice based on data shown by a polling officer.
The polling body further stated that upon preliminary inquiry, Shakun Rani has denied voting twice. The CEO's office also found that the tick-marked document presented by Rahul Gandhi was not issued by the polling officer, raising questions about the authenticity of the claim.
The letter read, "In your Press Conference, you have stated that the documents shown in your presentation are from the records of the Election Commission of India. You have said: "This is EC data". You have also stated that as per the records given by the polling officer, Smt. Shakun Rani has voted twice. You have said; "Es ID card per do baar vote lagahai, wo jo tick hai, polling booth ke officer kihai"."
"On inquiry, Smt. Shakun Rani has stated that she has voted only once and not twice, as alleged by you. Preliminary enquiry conducted by this office also reveals that the tick marked document shown by you in the presentation (copy enclosed) is not a document issued by the polling officer," it added.
The Karnataka CEO requested Rahul Gandhi to provide the relevant documents that form the basis of his allegation so that a detailed investigation can be conducted by the Karnataka electoral authorities.
The letter stated, "Therefore, you are kindly requested to provide the relevant documents on the basis of which you have concluded that Smt. Shakun Rani or anyone else has voted twice, so that a detailed inquiry can be undertaken by this office."