EC seeks affidavit from anybody having voted twice in poll amid vote theft allegations

Facing massive allegations of vote theft from the principal opposition party, the Congress, and with two BJP leaders having been issued notices for possessing two voter IDs, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday countered that if anyone has proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with a written affidavit rather than labeling all the electors of India as “chor” without any proof.

The ECI said that the law for “One Person One Vote” has been in existence since the first election in India in 1951-1952.

Trying to create a false narrative by using 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, poll body sources said.

On August 7, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had made a detailed presentation, alleging that fake people were being added to voter lists, citing details of the Mahadevapura assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat as a case study.

Since then, instances of voters having two EPIC numbers, voters with incorrect age details, and 'dead' voters being listed as alive have been surfacing.

The ECI itself has sent notices to Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi (both BJP leaders) for reportedly holding two voter ID cards.