‘Whole country will ask you for affidavit’: Rahul Gandhi warns top 3 election officers of stern action when INDIA bloc forms govt

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Stepping up his attack on the Election Commission over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday warned the chief election commissioner (CEC) and the two election commissioners of stern action when the INDIA bloc forms government.

While addressing a gathering in Bihar’s Gaya, Gandhi said the poll panel was asking him to file an affidavit even after the poll body's "vote theft" had been caught. He also asserted that “vote chori” was an attack on ‘Bharat Mata’.

"I want to tell the Election Commission that the whole country will ask you to give an affidavit. Give us some time, we will catch your theft in every assembly and Lok Sabha seat, and put it before the people," he said.

“Like PM (Narendra) Modi ji talks of a special package, the Election Commission has brought a new special package for Bihar named SIR, which means a new form of vote theft," Gandhi said as he wound up the second day of the Voter Adhikar Yatra along with his Mahagathbandhan allies.

The former Congress chief also launched a direct attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

"Whatever I say, I do it. You have seen that I don't lie from the stage...these three election commissioners... I want to tell them that it is Modiji's government right now... Tejashwi (Yadav) ji said that you (election commissioners) have taken BJP membership and are working for them.

"But understand one thing, a day will come when there will be an INDIA bloc government in Bihar and Delhi; then we will take action against the three of you... You've stolen (vote) from the whole country," Gandhi said.

Gandhi’s comments came a day after CEC Gyanesh Kumar served a seven-day ultimatum on him to submit a signed affidavit to back his vote theft claims, else his allegations will be considered baseless.

In his first press conference after Gandhi levelled allegations of 'vote chori' in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and several opposition leaders flagged issues about the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, CEC Kumar asked the Congress leader to either apologise or back his claims with a signed affidavit as required under electoral rules.

The Election Commission has consistently denied such claims by Gandhi as well as other Opposition leaders as misleading.