Latest news with #RepresentationofthePeopleActsof1950
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rahul Gandhi has right to question election process, KPCC tells CEC
BENGALURU: KPCC media cell chairman and advocate Ramesh Babu has written to the Chief Election Commissioner, seeking withdrawal of remarks made against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of large-scale electoral fraud in Karnataka. In a letter to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi, Babu argued that Article 324 of the Constitution, along with provisions of the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, places a 'bounden duty' on the ECI to ensure free and fair elections and maintain accurate electoral rolls. Citing Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, Babu maintained that citizens — including Opposition leaders — have the right to question the correctness of electoral rolls and the fairness of the election process. 'Such actions strengthen democracy and should not invite threats or intimidation,' the letter stated. Rahul recently alleged vote theft in Karnataka's Mahadevapura segment, claiming over one lakh fake entries created through duplicate registrations, fake addresses, and misuse of Form-6. He accused the ECI of complicity by refusing to provide machine-readable digital voter rolls, destroying CCTV footage from polling stations, and blocking independent audits. He also questioned the absence of alleged anti-incumbency patterns in the results, hinting at manipulation. Babu emphasised that Rahul's demands for digital electoral rolls and independent scrutiny were made in the public interest, and warned that threatening him for doing so was 'against the spirit of the Constitution'.
NDTV
03-08-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"No Record": Poll Body Denies Congress Leader's Claim Of Forged Voter List
Bengaluru: In a development that adds fresh fuel to the ongoing controversy around alleged voter roll manipulation, the Karnataka State Election Commission has officially responded to a letter from H Nagesh -- the Congress candidate from Mahadevapura, who lost in the assembly elections from the same constituency in 2023. In response to his letter, the Commission has said it has no record of any submission made by him in April 2023 regarding forged entries in the constituency's voter list. In his letter dated July 31, Mr Nagesh had requested a copy of a document he claims to have submitted last year, listing alleged bogus voters in the 174-Mahadevapura Assembly Constituency. He said his team had misplaced the original documents listing forged entries in the voters list. The Election Commission, however has responded saying it has no such document on record and noted that Mr Nagesh had also not filed any petition or appeal challenging the 2023 voter list under relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951. "This office does not have records of any such letter received from you during April 2023 on the issue of electoral rolls," read the letter from the Election Commission. The reply, issued by Joint Chief Electoral Officer Yogeshwar S, also emphasized that statutory electoral rolls are publicly available online and are also handed to all contesting candidates, including Mr Nagesh, at the time. Interestingly Rahul Gandhi has been raising the same issue and has been accusing the Election Commission of failing to act on credible evidence of electoral fraud. Rahul Gandhi will be in Bengaluru on August 5, where he will lead a major protest at Freedom Park against the Election Commission and the BJP.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Destroying evidence': Rahul Gandhi targets EC again; questions 45-day CCTV footage wipeout; poll body reacts
NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday renewed his attack on the Election Commission, questioning its transparency and alleging a deliberate attempt to destroy crucial poll-related data. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The poll body reacted saying that making webcasting footage of polling stations public violated privacy and security concerns of voters. "Voter list? Will not provide machine-readable format. CCTV footage? It was hidden by changing the law. Photo-video of the election? Now, not in 1 year, we will destroy it in 45 days only. The one from whom the answer was needed - is destroying the evidence. It is clear - the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy," read a post by Rahul Gandhi on X. EC officials argued that while such demands appeared to champion voter interest and democratic integrity, they were actually intended to achieve the "opposite objective". What is presented as a reasonable and logical request directly contradicts voter privacy, legal provisions under the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, and Supreme Court directives, PTI reported citing EC officials. Officials warned that sharing the footage could allow easy identification of voters and non-voters, exposing them to potential pressure, discrimination, or intimidation by anti-social elements. Citing a possible scenario, officials further said that if a political party received fewer votes at a specific booth, it could use CCTV footage to identify who voted and who didn't—potentially leading to targeted harassment or intimidation of those individuals. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This came after the poll body directed its state units to erase CCTV and webcast footage of the polling process 45 days after the conclusion of elections. The EC cited concerns over potential "misuse" of video data, stating the footage would be deleted unless the election outcome is legally challenged within that period.
