Sign declaration or apologise to nation: ECI sources on Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi:  The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken strong exception to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of large-scale voter list manipulation and challenged him to either stand by his claims under oath or apologise to the nation.

Sources in the Election Commission said that if Gandhi truly believes in his allegations and the analysis presented to the media on Thursday, he should have no hesitation in signing the statutory declaration required under election rules.

“If he does not sign the declaration, it would imply he lacks confidence in his own claims and conclusions, which the Commission considers absurd. In that case, he must apologise to the nation,” the sources said.

The ECI’s response came a day after Gandhi held a press conference where he alleged “systemic voter fraud” in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Karnataka’s Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency, citing what he called “irrefutable proof” discovered by the Congress party’s internal investigation.

Gandhi claimed that while his party, Congress, led in all other Assembly segments under the Bangalore Central seat, it lost due to fraudulent electoral practices in Mahadevapura.

Following the press conference, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka wrote to Gandhi, asking him to submit a signed declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with specific names of electors involved in the alleged irregularities.

In his letter, the CEO pointed out that any challenge to the outcome of an election must be made through an election petition before the High Court.

“It is understood that during the press conference held today (August 7), you mentioned the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls,” the letter stated.

“You are kindly requested to sign and submit the declaration/oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of such electors so that necessary proceedings can be initiated,” it added.

–IANS