ECI Hits Back at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Charge, Demands Signed Declaration or Apology

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday issued a point-by-point rebuttal to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s five-question challenge, dismissing his allegations of bias, tampering, and shielding the ruling party as “misleading.”

Responding under the hashtag #ECIFactCheck, the poll body accused Rahul Gandhi of making public claims without filing any formal complaint or pursuing legal recourse, and demanded that he either sign a statutory declaration affirming his charges or apologise to the nation.

The row began with Rahul Gandhi’s press conference on Thursday, where he claimed to have an “atom bomb” of proof that the ECI engaged in “vote chori” during recent polls, citing anomalies in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka. His accusations included “one crore mystery voters,” destruction of CCTV footage, fake entries, and refusal to share voter data.

At a rally in Bengaluru on Friday, Gandhi posted a video on X listing five demands for the ECI: release the digital voter list to the opposition, explain the erasure of CCTV evidence, clarify alleged fake voting and intimidation of rivals, and answer whether it has “become an agent of the BJP.”

In its rebuttal, the ECI cited a 2019 Supreme Court ruling rejecting the Congress plea for a machine-readable voter list, explained that CCTV footage is retained only if an election petition is filed, and noted that the INC filed “hardly any” appeals during the 2024 electoral roll preparation. The commission also accused Gandhi of repeatedly making allegations in the media without ever submitting a personally signed complaint.

“If Shri Rahul Gandhi believes in his own analysis, he should submit claims and objections under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. If not, and he refuses to sign the declaration, it means he does not believe his own conclusions. In that case, he should apologise to the nation,” the ECI said.

Gandhi countered at the Bengaluru rally, saying he had already taken an oath in Parliament to uphold the Constitution.