‘Vote chori’ row: ‘lame duck excuses, puerile legalese’, Congress hits back as Haryana CEO demands oath from Rahul Gandhi

In his latest letter, the CEO said, “It is requested that the signed declaration/oath may be returned to this office within ten (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 Electoral Rules, 1960.”

Tagging the CEO’s letter on social media platform X, Surjewala said: “When confronted with evidence of mass manipulation of voter rolls, the Election Commission seeks to hide the “Voter Fraud” with its lame duck excuses, puerile legalese and fake technicalities. No wonder that it is now named as “Election Capture of India” – ECI.”

Surjewala alleged: “The malicious stonewalling and obfuscation of Election Commission to address the issue of “vote theft” and hide behind excuses establishes its “fear of truth”. Not once has the ECI and BJP said that Rahul ji’s assertion of vote theft is wrong.”

Stating that EC “is not a passive clerk of electoral paperwork”, Surjewala said: “It is a constitutional guardian of the level playing field and free and fair polls, the lifeblood of democracy.”

“To evade scrutiny in favour of procedural smokescreens is not neutrality. It is an abdication of duty that corrodes the very democracy it is meant to protect. It is nothing short of a crime against democracy and the Constitution and these notices will not dilute the unpardonable sin it is committing,” he added.

The Haryana Assembly elections were held in October 2024, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 48 seats while the Congress won 31 seats for the 90-member Vidhan Sabha.