‘Baseless’: EC Rejects Rahul Gandhi’s Claim of Double Voting by 70-Year-Old, Seeks Proof

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s latest allegation of voter fraud, terming it baseless and demanding documentary proof.

Gandhi, in a recent press conference, had claimed that a 70-year-old woman, Shakun Rani, was listed twice on the electoral roll within two months using Form 6, meant for first-time voters and that her vote was cast twice.

The EC said its inquiry found Ms Rani had voted only once. It further clarified that the tick-marked paper Gandhi cited as evidence was “not a document issued by a polling officer”. The poll body has issued a notice to the Leader of Opposition, asking him to submit records supporting his claim for a detailed probe.

Gandhi had accused the EC and BJP of “stealing elections” by denying CCTV footage and digital voter lists to the Congress. He alleged the case was part of a wider “vote chori” model, citing “thousands” of similar instances. The EC, in a rare direct rebuttal, had earlier asked Gandhi to either submit his allegations under oath or apologise to the nation, calling his analysis “distorted and baseless”.

The BJP has defended the EC, with its IT cell chief Amit Malviya challenging Gandhi to produce a list of alleged ineligible voters under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, or be exposed for “political theatre”.

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc, spearheaded by Gandhi, plans to march from Parliament to the EC’s office in Delhi on Monday in protest against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The same evening, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will host a dinner for INDIA bloc MPs to bolster opposition unity.