The Congress party has long accused the Election Commission (EC) of irregularities and fraud. In response to these allegations, the EC issued a statement, suggesting that if errors had been brought to their attention at the appropriate time, they could have been rectified. The EC also stated its willingness to examine documents to assist its officials in addressing any shortcomings. This statement from the Election Commission has drawn a renewed response from Congress leaders.
Congress leader Pawan Khera, commenting on the EC’s reported statement, said, “They are basically saying that they admit they have stolen votes, so why didn’t we catch it?” He added that such a scenario might be unprecedented.
During the commencement of the ‘Voter Rights Yatra,’ Congress leader Supriya Shrinate stated, “Rahul Gandhi is launching a major campaign today, and the Election Commission’s press conference is happening in this context, as they are admitting that the voter list is wrong. If the voter list is wrong, it is their job to fix it.” She emphasized that blaming others would not be effective. She highlighted that the foundation of a fair election is based on the principle of one person, one vote.
During the ‘Voter Rights Yatra,’ Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel said, “The Election Commission has woken up now, but it’s too late. If they had fulfilled their responsibilities properly, neither would fake voters have been added nor would there have been any fraudulent voting. This yatra is a fight against the vote theft that the BJP is carrying out in collusion with the Election Commission.”
The Election Commission had stated that it appeared some political parties did not properly scrutinize the voter lists at the appropriate time to point out errors to the election machinery. The Commission also said it welcomed scrutiny of documents to help its officers rectify any shortcomings. The Election Commission noted that some political parties and individuals had recently raised issues about errors in voter lists, including those prepared earlier.
Rahul Gandhi had alleged numerous discrepancies in the voter lists, presenting several pieces of evidence. The Election Commission’s statement followed this.
