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Ex-ECs fault Gyanesh Kumar's handling of Rahul Gandhi's 'vote chori' charge: Should've sorted…
Last month, Gyanesh Kumar had gave an ultimatum to Rahul Gandhi on his vote theft claims, asking him to either furnish a signed affidavit or apologise.
Weeks after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar lashed out at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his "vote theft" claims, three former Election Commissioners have criticised the poll body chief's handling of the matter.
Former Chief Election Commissioners SY Quraishi and OP Rawat, along with former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, said the matter could have been handled more appropriately instead of asking Gandhi to submit a signed affidavit.
During an interaction at India Today's South Conclave, SY Quraishi criticised the poll panel's angry response to Rahul Gandhi's allegations, and said that the Congress leader was voicing the concerns of many people, not just himself.
"Daring the Leader of the Opposition in this tone and with this anger has not done any credit to the Election Commission," Quraishi said, adding that if he was in Gyanesh Kumar's place, he would've ordered an enquiry into the matter.
Echoing the same sentiment, OP Rawat also said the matter should've been sorted out "immediately" by the Election Commission. He said the Election Commission’s role has never been to question stakeholders, but take the doubts expressed seriously, promptly investigate and make the findings public to make sure "no cloud of doubt builds up".
Meanwhile, ex-Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa also faulted Gyanesh Kumar for seeking an affidavit from Rahul Gandhi, saying all serious complaints must be looked into by the poll panel. You cannot allow a doubt to hang in the air, because the integrity of the electoral roll, prepared under the Commission’s supervision, has been questioned," he was quoted as saying by India Today.
Gyanesh Kumar's reaction on Rahul Gandhi's charge
Back in August, CEC Gyanesh Kumar held a press conference dismissing Rahul Gandhi's claims of vote theft, calling the allegations an "insult" to the Constitution of India.
He had also given a seven-day ultimatum to the Congress leader, asking him to either furnish a signed affidavit or apologise to the nation for his remarks.
"An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi (There is no third option.) If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless." Gyanesh Kumar had said.
His remarks came days after Gandhi flagged the "theft" of over 1,00,000 votes in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress leader had presented data on alleged duplicate voters, bulk voters and fake addresses, saying the information was sourced from the Election Commission.
Citing the constituency's example, Gandhi had claimed that the “vote chori model” was being used in many constituencies across the country.
P Chidambaram steps up attack on EC
After the three former election commission officials criticised the poll panel chief's response to Rahul Gandhi's allegations, Congress leader P Chidambaram further stepped up his attack, and sought Gyanesh Kumar's response to the remarks.
"All three categorically said that if a citizen or stakeholder made a substantive complaint, it was the duty of the ECI to order an enquiry into the charges, and not dare the LoP. What has Mr Gyanesh Kumar, CEC, have to say in response to the criticism by the three distinguished gentlemen?" a part of his tweet read.
