New Delhi, August 10 (H.S.): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a formal notice to Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, directing him to furnish documentary evidence supporting allegations he made during a press conference in Delhi on August 7. The notice was issued by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka and specifically pertains to Gandhi’s claims of electoral malpractice, which he asserted were based on the Commission’s own records.

During the August 7 briefing, Gandhi alleged that the ECI was complicit in election rigging, citing an example involving a voter, Shakun Rani, who, according to him, voted twice. The Commission, however, has strongly refuted the claim, stating that no such document was ever issued by any of its officials. Preliminary inquiries further revealed that Shakun Rani herself confirmed casting her vote only once, and the so-called “ticked” document presented by Gandhi was not an official ECI-issued record.

The ECI noted that Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly accused the body of “vote theft” over recent months but has limited these charges to public statements, without formally filing a sworn complaint or submitting verifiable proof. The Commission has consistently maintained that any such allegations must be accompanied by admissible evidence for investigative review.

In the latest communication, the CEO of Karnataka has requested Gandhi to produce original records or any credible documentation related to the allegation of double voting by Shakun Rani or any other voter. The notice underscores that these materials are essential to facilitate a detailed inquiry into the claims.

This move signals a more assertive stance by the Election Commission in addressing repeated public accusations from senior political leaders – by demanding that rhetoric be replaced with verifiable proof before being taken up for formal investigation.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar