Indore, Aug 17 (PTI) Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday hit out at the Election Commission, accusing it of functioning as an arm of the ruling BJP and said it should respond to the Opposition's
charge about "vote theft" instead of trading barbs.
Singh's remarks have come after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's statement earlier in the day that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should give a declaration under oath within seven days on his allegations of irregularities in the voter list, else his 'vote theft' claims would be rendered baseless and invalid.
Addressing a gathering at a book release event in Indore, the former chief minister said, "The ECI is today working completely as an arm of the BJP. To save democracy, it is necessary to prove this at every polling booth and work together for fair elections."
He alleged that fake voters had been registered in Maharashtra and other states and said that fair elections were essential for a successful democracy.
Gandhi had already demonstrated how "vote theft" was taking place across the country, the veteran leader said.
Levelling allegations of "vote chori", Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had on July 31, through a presentation at a press conference, cited data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to claim that more than 1 lakh votes were "stolen" in an assembly segment in Karnataka. He had also alleged similar irregularities in other states.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Singh said, "Why is the EC not answering Gandhi's questions on vote theft? Instead of levelling charges at a press conference, it should respond to the facts he has presented."
He said opposition parties had only one major demand — a digital copy of the nationwide electoral rolls so that issues related to fake voters could be resolved.
The Congress leader also questioned the poll body's unwillingness to provide details of 65 lakh names deleted from the voter list in Bihar.
Addressing the disgruntlement among Congress leaders over the party's newly announced district presidents' list.
"In every organisation, there are many aspirants for one post. Having ambition is natural, but we must work as one team. There is no need to argue over who got what," he said.
Singh released a booklet authored by Congress national secretary Satyanarayan Patel, centred on Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'. PTI HWP LAL ARU
