'Submit affidavit or apologise - no third option': CEC to Rahul Gandhi on vote theft claim
The Commission accused political leaders of targeting Indian voters under the guise of questioning the Election Commission.
- Aug 17, 2025,
- Updated Aug 17, 2025 4:46 PM IST
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation of "vote chori" (vote theft), demanding that he either file an affidavit within seven days or apologise - there is no third option. "If the affidavit does not come in seven days, it will be deemed that the allegations are baseless," said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi.
The Commission accused political leaders of targeting Indian voters under the guise of questioning the Election Commission. Without naming Gandhi directly, Gyanesh Kumar warned against politicising the voting process.
"When politics is being done by targeting the voters of India by keeping a gun on the shoulder of the Election Commission, today the Election Commission wants to make it clear to everyone that the Election Commission fearlessly stood like a rock with all the voters of all sections and all religions including the poor, rich, elderly, women, youth without any discrimination, is standing and will continue to stand," he said.
The EC's rebuttal came just hours after Rahul Gandhi launched his 1,300-km Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram, Bihar — a protest campaign against alleged electoral manipulation. Joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav, Gandhi described the yatra as a "fight to save the Constitution."
Gyanesh Kumar reaffirmed the Commission's neutrality and commitment to its mandate. "Every political party is registered with the Election Commission. How can the Commission discriminate between them? For us, all are equal," he said. "The EC will not step back from its constitutional duty, regardless of which party is involved."
Addressing the claim of voter fraud and double voting, Kumar said such complaints lacked evidence. "Some voters alleged double voting. When asked for proof, no answer was given. Neither the Election Commission nor any voter is afraid of such false allegations," he said.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the CEC defended the process as transparent and legally grounded. "The SIR exercise has not been done in the last 20 years. The SIR exercise has been carried out more than 10 times in the country," he said. "The main purpose of SIR is to purify the voter list. The SIR exercise is being carried out after receiving many complaints from political parties."
He added that the exercise was taking place with the full participation of voters, political parties, and booth-level officers. "All stakeholders are jointly verifying data, signing off on documents, and even providing video testimonials," he said.
Gyanesh Kumar also expressed concern that verified documents from the field were being selectively ignored or not communicated to senior party leaders, adding to public confusion. "More than seven crore voters in Bihar are standing with the EC. There is no question mark on the Commission’s credibility or that of the voters," he said.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation of "vote chori" (vote theft), demanding that he either file an affidavit within seven days or apologise - there is no third option. "If the affidavit does not come in seven days, it will be deemed that the allegations are baseless," said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi.
The Commission accused political leaders of targeting Indian voters under the guise of questioning the Election Commission. Without naming Gandhi directly, Gyanesh Kumar warned against politicising the voting process.
"When politics is being done by targeting the voters of India by keeping a gun on the shoulder of the Election Commission, today the Election Commission wants to make it clear to everyone that the Election Commission fearlessly stood like a rock with all the voters of all sections and all religions including the poor, rich, elderly, women, youth without any discrimination, is standing and will continue to stand," he said.
The EC's rebuttal came just hours after Rahul Gandhi launched his 1,300-km Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram, Bihar — a protest campaign against alleged electoral manipulation. Joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav, Gandhi described the yatra as a "fight to save the Constitution."
Gyanesh Kumar reaffirmed the Commission's neutrality and commitment to its mandate. "Every political party is registered with the Election Commission. How can the Commission discriminate between them? For us, all are equal," he said. "The EC will not step back from its constitutional duty, regardless of which party is involved."
Addressing the claim of voter fraud and double voting, Kumar said such complaints lacked evidence. "Some voters alleged double voting. When asked for proof, no answer was given. Neither the Election Commission nor any voter is afraid of such false allegations," he said.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the CEC defended the process as transparent and legally grounded. "The SIR exercise has not been done in the last 20 years. The SIR exercise has been carried out more than 10 times in the country," he said. "The main purpose of SIR is to purify the voter list. The SIR exercise is being carried out after receiving many complaints from political parties."
He added that the exercise was taking place with the full participation of voters, political parties, and booth-level officers. "All stakeholders are jointly verifying data, signing off on documents, and even providing video testimonials," he said.
Gyanesh Kumar also expressed concern that verified documents from the field were being selectively ignored or not communicated to senior party leaders, adding to public confusion. "More than seven crore voters in Bihar are standing with the EC. There is no question mark on the Commission’s credibility or that of the voters," he said.