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Election Commission of India on Thursday strongly responded to the "vote theft" allegations, stating that the attempt to "create a false narrative" against the poll body is a "direct attack" on the Indian voters and "assault" on the integrity of election staff.
Reiterating the law that one person is allowed to cast only one vote, the Election Commission again demanded a written affidavit with proof of a person voting twice in any election. The statement came in response to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's allegation of massive "vote theft" in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. "One Person One Vote" has been in existence since the first election of India in 1951-1952. If anyone has any proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with ECI with a written affidavit rather than colouring all the electors of India as "Chor" without any proof," the Election Commission stated. "Trying to create a false narrative by using dirty phrases like "Vote Chori" for our electors, is not only a direct attack on the crores of Indian electors but also an assault on the integrity of lakhs of election staff, the election body adds," it added. The statement came in response to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's allegation that over 1,00,250 "fake votes" were created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka to ensure a win for the BJP. Earlier in the day, The Delhi Youth Congress workers put up banners reading "vote chori commission" outside the ECI's office in Delhi, intensifying their protests. Rahul Gandhi has announced the launch of "VoterAdhikarYatra" against SIR of electoral rolls and called on people to "join this people's movement" Making the announcement in a post on X, the Congress MP said, "From August 17, with #VoterAdhikarYatra, we are launching a direct fight against vote theft from the soil of Bihar." "This is not just an election issue - it is a decisive battle to protect democracy, the constitution, and the principle of 'one man, one vote.' We will ensure a clean voter list across the entire country. Youth, workers, farmers - every citizen, rise and join this people's movement. This time, the defeat of vote thieves - the victory of the people, the victory of the constitution" (ANI)
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