Rahul Gandhi responds to EC’s affidavit demand over ‘vote chori’ claim: ‘Taken oath of Constitution’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday responded after the Election Commission demanded an affidavit from him following his allegations of “huge criminal fraud” in polls.

“The Election Commission demands an affidavit from me. It says that I must take an oath. I have already taken the oath of the Constitution in Parliament,” Rahul Gandhi said, responding to the demands.

The Congress leader was addressing a ‘Vote Adhikar’ rally in Bengaluru as he made the comments.

The EC had demanded an affidavit under oath from him to support his claims.

“Today, when the people are questioning the Election Commission based on data he released, the EC has shut its website,” the Leader of Opposition at the Lok Sabha said.

The Congress leader also claimed that the Election Commission websites in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar have been closed.

“The EC websites in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar have been shut down because they knew that if people started questioning based on data, then their entire structure would collapse,” said Rahul Gandhi.

What did the Election Commission say?

Earlier, Election Commission sources said that if the Congress leader truly stands by his analysis and believes his allegations against the poll body are correct, he should have “no objection” to signing the declaration required under electoral rules and submitting the names that were allegedly added or removed from the voters’ list, reported PTI.

The ECI, through the Karnataka CEO, has asked Rahul Gandhi to provide the details of irregularities in the voter list. The poll panel had also warned that providing “false evidence” is punishable under Section 227 of BNS.