Key Points

According to sources, the Commission says the "One Person, One Vote" principle has been firmly in place since the first general elections of 1951-52, and any allegation of duplicate voting must be backed by verifiable evidence.

"If anyone has any proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with ECI with a written Affidavit rather than colouring all the electors of India as 'Chor' without any proof," ECI sources said.

They said the Commission is particularly concerned that such rhetoric not only casts doubt on crores of Indian voters but also undermines the credibility of poll officials engaged in conducting elections.

"Trying to create a false narrative by using dirty phrases like 'Vote Chori' for our electors is not only a direct attack on the crores of Indian electors but also an assault on the integrity of lakhs of election staff," the EC sources said.

The reaction comes in the wake of recent remarks by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who alleged that multiple voters were registered at the same address at a press conference and accused the BJP of "stealing votes" in connivance with the ECI.

The Congress leader claimed to have shared data supporting his charge, but the Commission is insisting on an affidavit.

On August 7, Gandhi accused the BJP of adding fake names to voter rolls, citing examples from Karnataka, and claimed a "massive theft of votes" in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat. The Commission has already rejected such allegations as baseless and misleading.

- IANS