Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has sent a letter to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi requesting him to submit an affidavit regarding alleged irregularities in the voter list. The CEO has scheduled a meeting between Gandhi and the Congress delegation on Friday between 1 and 3 pm.
The letter mentions that the voter list has been prepared with complete transparency as per the Representation of the People Act 1950, Voter Registration Rules 1960 and the instructions of the Election Commission. The CEO clarified that the draft voter list in November 2024 and the final voter list in January 2025 were shared with all recognized political parties including the Congress, but no objection or complaint was lodged by the Congress.
The CEO has requested Rahul Gandhi to submit a detailed statement in support of the allegations of addition of ineligible voters and deletion of eligible voters, which includes the names, part numbers and serial numbers of the concerned persons. The affidavit submitted will also have to declare that the information given is true, otherwise legal action can be taken.
The letter also clarified that the election results can be challenged only through an election petition in the High Court.
It is noteworthy that Rahul Gandhi is accusing the Election Commission of manipulating the voter list, which has been described as misleading, baseless and unfair by the Election Commission of India.