ECI ultimatum to Rahul Gandhi over ‘vote chori’ remark triggers row

While the BJP welcomed the order, the Congress and its allies strongly rejected calls for an apology

New Delhi: The political temperature in the country rose sharply on Sunday after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an ultimatum to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his “vote chori” remarks.

The ECI directed LoP Gandhi to either submit an affidavit with evidence supporting his allegations within seven days or issue a public apology. The Commission said that in the absence of an affidavit, all such accusations would be treated as false.

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The ruling BJP welcomed the ECI’s move, pressing LoP Gandhi to comply, while the INDIA Bloc accused the poll body of acting as a “political weapon” to silence dissent. Union Minister Giriraj Singh lashed out at the Congress MP, saying, “The Election Commission had clearly said they must file an affidavit within seven days, otherwise he (LoP Gandhi) should apologise to the people. I want to ask, today is August 18, till now, how many names has he found to be wrong and submitted to the Election Commission? Spreading confusion will not help.”

Speaking to IANS, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya professed, “Rahul Gandhi has been spreading chaos and questioning constitutional institutions. Every process has a proper procedure; if a political party has objections to the voter list publication and revision, it can raise them officially.”

“However, Rahul Gandhi is firing blindly, spreading rumours in the country,” he claimed and added, “His conduct is neither democratic nor constitutional and is completely irresponsible. For someone in the responsible position of Leader of the Opposition, such actions are disgraceful.”

Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishvas Sarang also slammed the LoP, telling IANS, “Rahul Gandhi, without any factual basis, makes such baseless statements for media and photo opportunities to mislead the public. When allegations are made against institutions like the Election Commission, one must provide facts and an affidavit; this is the rule.”

Backing the ECI, Uttar Pradesh Minister Anil Rajbhar said the poll body had already clarified all the questions raised by the Opposition. “I think the Election Commission held an exceptionally long press conference yesterday, something that has never happened before. They answered every question and clarified every issue,” he said.

JD(U) MP Dileshwar Kamait also criticised LoP Gandhi for targeting the Commission, saying, “The poll body has answered to the confusion, now it’s time for Rahul Gandhi to do the same. The people of the country know the Commission aims to conduct free and fair elections. An affidavit is essential for ensuring impartiality.”

However, the Opposition made it clear that LoP Gandhi would not apologise, arguing that he had spoken the truth and had not committed any wrongdoing.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari strongly defended LoP Gandhi, saying, “I would like to tell Gyanesh Kumar that, as the respected Chief Election Commissioner holding a constitutional position, he should maintain the dignity of his office. The way he conducted the press conference, the term ‘vote theft’ seems too mild. If citizens are unable to exercise their rights, who else will safeguard them? I urge him to act responsibly and ensure nothing happens that would make people lose faith in him.”

Congress MP Imran Masood also stood firm, declaring, “Apology from LoP Rahul Gandhi? Why should he apologise? Rahul Gandhi will not apologise. Whatever he has said, he has said it boldly and with conviction.”

He added that the ECI had failed to address the core issues raised by the Opposition and said, “They didn’t even touch upon the very question that has created an uproar across the entire country. They didn’t mention that at all. They didn’t even bring up the Lok Sabha, where so many fake voters were caught and identified. There was no mention of that either.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also hit out at the Commission, telling IANS, “We did not get any concrete answers to our questions. It was merely a script being read out, seemingly drafted from the BJP office and aimed at targeting the Opposition. Today, it has become clear that the Election Commission is misusing its authority, while the BJP is using it as a tool to attack the Opposition.”

Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav expressed similar concerns about the poll body.

Speaking to IANS, he said, “If the Election Commission swears before the country that its voter list is completely accurate, then it has the right to demand an affidavit… If the Election Commission makes a mistake, it says to file an application for correction, but if someone points it out, they demand an affidavit. This is not right.”

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also accused the poll body of partisanship, saying, “We want to tell the Election Commission that you are a constitutional body. You should act in the manner you are supposed to, but you are not doing so. You are acting like an extended department of the BJP. Here, you are only misleading through words or language without taking real action.”