Karnataka CEO asks Rahul to share documents based on which he claimed woman voted twice

New Delhi | The Karnataka chief electoral officer on Sunday issued a notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asking him to share documents based on which he had alleged that a woman voted twice.

Soon after the notice was issued to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Election Commission once again asked him to either sign a declaration to substantiate his allegations of vote theft in Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra or apologise to the nation for making "absurd" allegations.

Karnataka's top poll officer told Gandhi that the documents will help his office carry out a detailed inquiry.

Gandhi had shown the documents at a press conference in the national capital last week.

"You have also stated that as per the records given by the polling officer, Smt Shakun Rani had voted twice... On inquiry, Smt Sakun Rani has stated that she has voted only once and not twice, as alleged by you," the notice read.

A preliminary inquiry conducted by the CEO's office also revealed that the tick-marked document shown by the Congress leader in the presentation was not issued by the polling officer, the letter said.

"Therefore, you are kindly requested to provide the relevant documents on the basis of which you have concluded that Smt Shakun Rani or anyone else has voted twice, so that a detailed inquiry can be undertaken by this office," the notice stated.

Responding to the notice issued by its CEO, the EC said, "Rahul Gandhi still has time to give a declaration on the first letter of CEO Karnataka or apologise to the country."

Haryana CEO asks Rahul Gandhi to give particulars about his claim of anomalies in electoral roll

Chandigarh | Haryana chief electoral officer (CEO) has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to furnish documents within 10 days in support of his claims about anomalies in electoral rolls in the 2024 State assembly polls.

The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha on Thursday claimed that the difference between winning and losing the Haryana elections for the Congress was 22,779 votes in the entire state.

"This is to draw your kind attention to this office communication dated August 9, 2025, referring to the statements made by you during the press conference held on August 7, 2025, pertaining to the alleged inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the electoral rolls of Haryana," stated the Haryana CEO's communication to Gandhi on Sunday.

Gandhi has been asked to furnish the particulars of the electors concerned, along with the "duly signed declaration/oath under Rule 20 (3) (b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

He has been asked to send the signed declaration/oath to the CEO's office within 10 days, "so that necessary proceedings may be initiated in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of the Electoral Rules, 1960".

Gandhi had on Thursday cited data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to also claim over 1 lakh votes were "stolen" through five types of manipulations in an assembly segment in Karnataka.

With Congress leaders amplifying the "vote theft" allegation of Rahul Gandhi, Election Commission officials on Saturday once again pressed the Leader of the Opposition to either sign a declaration to support his claims or apologise to the country for making "fake" charges.

Congress vows not to back down on 'vote theft' fight, announces INDIA alliance march to EC office

Alappuzha (Kerala) | The opposition Congress on Sunday toughened its stance on its claims of "vote theft" in certain states and vowed not to give up its fight to safeguard democracy in the country.

The grand old party questioned whether the Election Commission of India (ECI) is acting as an "agent" for the ruling BJP.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal made the statement shortly after the Karnataka chief electoral officer sent a notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The notice requested that Gandhi provide evidence for his claim that a woman had voted twice

Following this, the EC again asked the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to either sign a declaration to substantiate his allegations of vote theft in Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra or apologise to the nation for levelling "absurd" charges.

"The Congress won't backtrack from the matter at any cost. This is an issue to safeguard the democracy of our country and we will go to any extent for the same," Venugopal told reporters here.

"If the ECI has no other interest, why are they not providing the electronic voters' list?" he asked.

The Alappuzha MP asked why the EC wasn't providing the electronic voters' list and why it had decided to destroy CCTV footage.

The Congress leader announced that MPs from the INDIA alliance would march to the EC office in New Delhi on Monday, seeking action. Additionally, a two-week "yatra" (journey) with all INDIA alliance parties will begin in Bihar on August 17 to raise awareness about the issue

Noting that the party has already brought this matter to public attention and plans to take further steps to reach more people, he said a meeting of Congress general secretaries and in-charges is scheduled for Monday to plan their next moves.

"We won't leave this issue. We want a reply from the EIC," the AICC general secretary added.

Earlier in the day, Venugopal said the Congress will launch a comprehensive audit to uncover alleged irregularities in the voters' list from the last Lok Sabha elections.

He said there were 48 constituencies where INDIA bloc candidates lost by fewer than 50,000 votes, and the party would carry out extensive checks in all of them.

Addressing media in Alappuzha, Venugopal alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "did not assume office with a genuine mandate", claiming this became evident after Rahul Gandhi released "evidence of electoral fraud".

Venugopal said, "A comprehensive audit will be conducted to identify irregularities in the voters' list from the last Lok Sabha elections."

Gandhi on Thursday made explosive claims of a "huge criminal fraud" in polls through collusion between the BJP and the EC, as he cited an analysis in a constituency in Karnataka and said it was "a crime against the Constitution".

Alleging that the BJP seized power by manipulating the voter list in the 2019 polls, Venugopal claimed a proper investigation could force "Modi to resign".

Instead, he accused the Election Commission of threatening Gandhi and the Congress for raising objections.

However, Venugopal claimed that the EC is yet to respond to the irregularities flagged.

"Don't try to scare us," he told the Commission, adding that Congress would continue its fight.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in Thiruvananthapuram that the allegations levelled by Gandhi against the ECI were like "wet crackers".

He accused Gandhi of 'targetting' the entire election process as Congress workers are fed up with the grand old party and its leadership.