Election Commission seeks evidence amid Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ allegations

The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Thursday (August 14) that any discrepancies in voting should be brought to the authorities with evidence, rather than “fabricating false narratives” using phrases such as “vote chori”.

The statement comes in the wake of allegations by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi who claimed responsibility for vote theft and manipulation of electoral rolls in favor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Last week, Gandhi claimed that over a million votes were stolen from Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly constituency in the 2024 elections, leading to the Congress candidate’s defeat.

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Following these allegations, the EC directed Gandhi to file a written complaint along with a statement.

“The “one person, one vote” law has already existed since the first elections in 1951-52, PTI reported.

“If anyone has proof that a person actually voted twice in an election, they should share it with the ECI with a written affidavit rather than labeling all Indian voters as ‘chor’ without any proof,” he adds.