Instead of giving answers...: Prashant Kishor on Rahul Gandhi-poll panel standoff

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday questioned the Election Commission's handling of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "vote chori". Kishor argued that the responsibility lay with the poll body to provide a detailed response to the issues raised rather than demanding an apology from the Leader of the Opposition.

"Suppose Rahul Gandhi does not follow the Election Commission's words, what will the Election Commission do? What Rahul Gandhi and the Election Commission are saying about each other is not important. As the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi has raised certain issues, and the Election Commission should respond to them point by point. Instead of giving answers, you are saying apologise," Kishor said.

His remarks came hours after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar issued a sharp rebuttal to Gandhi's allegations, giving him seven days to either submit an affidavit with proof or issue a public apology.

"An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means that all these allegations are baseless," Kumar said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Rejecting Gandhi's charges of double voting and electoral fraud, Kumar said the allegations were unfounded and amounted to an "insult to the Constitution".

He stressed that the term "vote chori" undermined democratic institutions and accused political parties of using the Election Commission as a platform to target voters for political gain.

"When politics is being done by targeting the voters of India by keeping a gun on the shoulder of the Election Commission, today the Election Commission wants to make it clear to everyone that the Election Commission fearlessly stood like a rock with all the voters of all sections and all religions including the poor, rich, elderly, women, youth without any discrimination, is standing and will continue to stand," Kumar asserted.

Without naming Gandhi directly, the CEC dismissed the Congress leader's presentation on alleged voter list manipulation as "wrong analysis".

He further clarified that concerns over duplicate names in rolls did not equate to double voting, adding that "even if a voter has his name in two places, he votes in one. It is a criminal offence to cast votes in two places."

Kumar also underlined that electoral rolls and voting are two separate processes governed by distinct laws and functionaries. He said while some voters had raised concerns, no evidence had been provided to substantiate claims of manipulation. "Neither the Election Commission nor the voters of India are afraid of such false allegations," he said.

- Ends