EC should have ordered probe, not sought affidavit: Former CEC on Rahul Gandhi's 'vote theft' claims

New Delhi: Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Quraishi on Sunday criticised the Election Commission (EC) for its response to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote theft”. He said the poll body should have ordered a probe instead of using “objectionable and offensive” language against him.

In an interview with PTI, Quraishi said much of Gandhi’s remarks, including his claim of a coming “hydrogen bomb” of revelations, amounted to political rhetoric, but insisted that the complaints raised by the Opposition leader merited serious investigation.

“The EC should have called for a probe into Gandhi’s allegations instead of asking him to submit an affidavit. He is, after all, the LoP, representing millions of people. To tell him ‘give an affidavit, otherwise we will do this or that’ was objectionable,” Quraishi said.

The former CEC, who served from 2010 to 2012, also took strong exception to the manner in which the EC carried out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. He warned that the exercise was not only “opening a Pandora’s box” but also akin to “putting its hand in a hornet’s nest”, which could ultimately backfire on the poll body.

The EC has consistently rejected allegations of irregularities, insisting that the SIR aims to cleanse the voters’ list of ineligible and duplicate entries while ensuring eligible citizens are included.

Quraishi, however, questioned why the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) had been excluded from the list of documents required for inclusion in the electoral rolls. “EPIC is issued by the EC itself. Not recognising it has very serious implications,” he said, adding that it had taken the poll body three decades to perfect the system and the current revision risked undoing that progress.

On Gandhi’s accusations of “vote chori”, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had earlier warned that unless the LoP submitted a sworn declaration within seven days, his claims would be considered baseless.  Quraishi said dismissing these charges outright was a mistake. “Not only do we have to be fair, we have to appear to be fair. A probe would have brought out the facts. Instead, the EC missed an opportunity,” he said. “The party in power doesn’t need pampering. The opposition, being the underdog, deserves to be heard. If they wanted an appointment, I asked the staff to give it immediately,” he added. 

An EC functionary, responding to Quraishi’s remarks, said the poll body has been holding regular structured meetings with political parties, reported PTI.