Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 16 : Amid the row over "vote theft" allegations, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday claimed that people are "dissatisfied" with the Election Commission's working.
Speaking to reporters, Akhilesh Yadav said that questions have been raised on the poll body over several elections.
He said, "From time to time, fingers have been pointed at the Election Commission, whether it is the election for village head, assembly election, Lok Sabha election, or any other election."
"Ensuring free and fair elections and increasing people's trust in the institution is the Election Commission's responsibility... But we are seeing that people are dissatisfied with the way the Election Commission is working," the Samajwadi Party chief said.
He claimed that no action was taken even after submitting an affidavit regarding a voter fraud of 18,000 votes.
Yadav said, "Recently, the INDIA alliance raised its voice against vote theft, and the result was that even the Supreme Court had to agree with the Opposition's stance. We gave an affidavit regarding a voter fraud of 18,000 votes, but no action was taken. If action is taken against even a single officer of the Election Commission, then there will be no vote theft, vote robbery, or any such looting anywhere."
"We have heard reports about people giving their vote in EVMs, and it turns out to be zero. There have been questions on how EMV's battery is fully charged even after being kept for months. So there has been a demand for ballot... Learn from America, Japan and Germany. Germany's Supreme Court said that voting through EVMs will be unconstitutional," SP chief further said.
Akhilesh Yadav addressed the reporters after paying a tribute to warrior queen Avantibai Lodhi on her birth anniversary by garlanding her statue in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday shared a spoof video inspired by the film Laapataa Ladies, reiterating the Congress's "vote theft" allegations against the Election Commission and urging people to join the 'Vote Chori se Azaadi' campaign.
Sharing the video on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, "Chori chori, chupke chupke... ab or nahi, janta jag gayi hai, (Secretly, stealthily... No more now, the public has awakened)."
The video shows a middle-aged man at a police station submitting a theft complaint. When asked by a policeman, "What has been stolen?" the man hesitates before replying, "Vote." The policeman reacts in shock and asks, "How's this possible?" The video ends with the message, "Theft of your vote is theft of your right."