Amethi booth-capturing allegation baseless: EC

Lucknow, May 6

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Following an inquiry by the Election Commission in Amethi, Union minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani’s charges of booth-capturing have turned out false, said UP Chief Electoral Officer L Venkateshwarlu today.

Congress chief  Rahul Gandhi is in direct fight with Irani in the constituency, which has seen one of the fiercest contests. CEO Venkateshwarlu clarified that the charges levelled by an elderly woman in a video that went viral after it was shared by Irani on the social media was found to be “baseless”. She had tagged the EC in her tweet.

In the video, the woman in Gauriganj’s Gujartola booth had charged the presiding officer with forcibly putting her finger on the Congress button on the voting machine and pressing it.

CEO Venkateshwarlu said: “Following the complaint the sector officer, senior officials and observers rushed to the booth and spoke to the polling agents of political parties, besides other officials, following which it was conclusively found that the charges in the video clip were fabricated. Due to prima facie allegations in the clip, the presiding officer was summarily removed while the probe is on.”

During the day Irani along with her team of supporters visited booths to check booth capturing. After Rahul did not come to Amethi due to his campaigning schedule in Bhiwani, she charged him with betraying the people of Amethi.  —TNS