A political storm brews as the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has formally asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to sign a declaration under oath regarding his explosive allegations of “vote chori” in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency.
The move follows Gandhi’s press conference, where he accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate electoral rolls and “steal” the 2024 general elections.
Gandhi cited data allegedly sourced from the EC itself, claiming over 1 lakh votes were compromised through duplicate entries, fake addresses, bulk voters, and misuse of Form 6. The Karnataka CEO responded with a letter invoking Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, asking Gandhi to submit names of affected electors along with a signed oath to initiate proceedings.
In his rebuttal, Gandhi stood firm, stating, “What I say to the people is my word. Take it as an oath. This is their data, and we are displaying it.” He further challenged the EC to deny the data, implying tacit acknowledgement of the irregularities.
The controversy has reignited debates over electoral transparency and institutional accountability, with political observers watching closely for the EC’s next move.
