'Vote chori' an insult to Constitution: CEC on Rahul Gandhi
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reacted strongly to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "vote fraud." Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said using phrases like "vote chori" is an insult to the Constitution. He emphasized that the ECI stands with voters and is not biased toward any political party.
Revision defense
ECI urges parties to flag errors during objection window
The ECI's response comes as Gandhi launched the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. Kumar explained that this revision was done to address political parties' demands for corrections. He urged parties to flag errors during the month-long objection window for draft voter lists.
Privacy issues
Kumar addresses concerns over machine-readable voter lists
Kumar also addressed concerns over machine-readable voter lists and potential breaches of voter privacy. He cited a Supreme Court ruling against sharing such lists due to privacy risks. The CEC stressed that with over 1 crore officials and 20 lakh polling agents, it is impossible to steal votes in a transparent process.
Fraud claims
Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar
Gandhi had earlier alleged vote fraud in Karnataka's Mahadevapura Assembly segment during the last Lok Sabha election. He accused the ECI of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to facilitate poll irregularities. The Congress leader's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar is a 1,300-km campaign covering 20 districts, aimed at raising awareness about these alleged issues.