Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar responded directly to Rahul Gandhi’s accusations of vote tampering. Kumar announced during a press conference that Gandhi must either present an affidavit or offer a formal apology to the country. If this condition isn’t met within a week, the allegations would be disregarded as unsubstantiated. The Election Commission’s request for an affidavit followed Gandhi’s initial claims, which he refused, maintaining that his statements were made in his capacity as a Member of Parliament. Kumar emphasized that repeated assertions don’t equate to truth. He clarified that a sworn statement must be provided within a week or the accusations will be dismissed. He insisted that the commission could not address the serious allegations without a formal affidavit. Kumar also highlighted that they would not take action based on any PPTs used in the analysis. He stated that without any supporting evidence, a valid voter’s name would not be removed. He also responded to questions on why an investigation wasn’t initiated. Kumar responded by stating that 150,000 notices were issued without evidence or an affidavit. The Chief Election Commissioner clarified, “We stand like a rock with the voters…” He restated that an affidavit or an apology to the country is required. He remarked on the commission’s 75 years of diligent work and the need for evidence when facing accusations. He repeated that no valid voter’s name will be removed without proof. On Rahul Gandhi’s claims of match-fixing in Maharashtra, Kumar stated that irregularities were alleged in the Maharashtra voter list. He questioned why claims and objections weren’t filed when the draft list was available. Kumar also responded that the election commission received no names of voters with supporting evidence. He also clarified that the elections took place eight months ago. The commission had also responded to questions about the voting process, indicating that with 10 hours of voting, the average voting percentage per hour is 10%.
