EC Challenges Rahul Gandhi to Swear Oath Over ‘Absurd’ Vote Theft Allegation

Election Commission Dares Rahul Gandhi to Sign Oath Over Vote Theft Claim

The Election Commission of India has hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his accusation of large-scale voter fraud in Karnataka, challenging the Congress leader to submit a signed oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules.

“If Rahul Gandhi does not believe in what he is saying, then he should stop arriving at absurd conclusions and misleading citizens,” the Commission said in a post on X, attaching the relevant form for oath submission. The rule cited pertains to objections related to electoral rolls.

Sources in the poll body said Gandhi must either provide signed evidence or refrain from making “baseless accusations.”

“Ya to sign karke dein ya phir Bharat ki janta ko gumrah na karein aur Chunav Aayog par bebuniyaad aarop lagana band karein,” the sources said.

Earlier in the day, the Leader of the Opposition alleged that over 1,00,000 fake votes were created in Mahadevapura Assembly constituency—part of the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat—to help the BJP win. The BJP had secured the seat by a margin of 32,707 votes in the 2024 General Elections.

According to Gandhi, Congress’s internal investigation revealed more than one lakh duplicate entries, invalid or fake addresses, and bulk voters registered at the same address. He accused the Commission of being complicit in what he described as a “huge criminal fraud” and claimed votes were “stolen in five different ways.”

This is not the first time Gandhi has accused the Commission of wrongdoing. He previously alleged electoral manipulation during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, citing an unusual spike in voting post-5:30 pm and a sudden addition of 70 lakh voters.