Bengaluru, Sep 23 (IANS) Karnataka Congress President B.K. Hariprasad on Wednesday invoked Rahul Gandhi’s repeated warnings to the Election Commission while demanding answers from the poll panel over reported objections raised by two Election Commissioners on issues concerning electoral rolls.
Hariprasad in his statement said that Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly questioned alleged irregularities in voter lists and warned the Election Commission that those responsible would eventually be held accountable.
“Rahul Gandhi’s warning to the Election Commission was clear: ‘Time will come, we will catch you and you will not be spared.’ He has repeatedly demanded answers over alleged voter irregularities and challenged the ECI to come clean,” the Karnataka Congress President said.
His remarks came following reports claiming Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral-roll management.
“The objections reportedly related to the addition and deletion of voters, changes to Form 6 and the functioning and control of the voter database.”
According to the news report, the two Election Commissioners had also raised concerns over what they described as the “gradual centralisation” of the electoral-roll database in Delhi and questioned whether state-level election officials were being provided proper access to the system.
Some of the steps concerning new voter registration were reportedly described as “unauthorised” and “illegal” in their objections.
Hariprasad said the reported objections had brought renewed attention to the concerns raised by Rahul Gandhi over the Election Commission and voter lists.
“This is not about one party. It is about the sanctity of every Indian’s vote. You may have power today, but power is temporary. Accountability is not. The time will come when every question will have to be answered,” he added.
He claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s concerns could no longer be dismissed as political rhetoric, as similar questions had now reportedly emerged from within the Election Commission itself.
“Rahul Gandhi’s concerns can no longer be dismissed as political rhetoric. The questions he raised have now surfaced from within the Election Commission itself. The Election Commission must answer. Indian voters need complete transparency,” Hariprasad said.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected reports of internal disagreement, with its sources saying that all decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), had the approval of all three Election Commissioners.
–IANS
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