Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of “vote theft” against the Election Commission, saying the Congress leader should either file an affidavit with evidence or tender a public apology within seven days.
Emphasising that there was “no third option”, Kumar warned that if an affidavit was not submitted within the stipulated time frame, the allegations would be treated as baseless.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Kumar said, “An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means that all these allegations are baseless.”
#WATCH | Delhi: On Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, “…An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means… pic.twitter.com/AJVbxEdPja
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2025
Rejecting Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of double voting and “vote theft,” Chief Election Commissioner Kumar asserted that all stakeholders are working to make the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) a success.
“The truth is that step by step all the stakeholders are committed, trying and working hard to make the SIR of Bihar a complete success. When more than seven crore voters of Bihar are standing with the Election Commission, then neither can any question mark be raised on the credibility of the Election Commission nor on the credibility of the voters,” CEC Kumar said.
EC remarks came just hours after Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at the launch of Voter Adhikar Yatra in Sasaram, Bihar, criticized the Election Commission for seeking an affidavit solely from him.
Congress Reacts To EC’s Ultimatum To Rahul Gandhi
The Congress reacted strongly to the Election Commission of India (ECI) issuing an affidavit-or-apology ultimatum to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying, “Investigate, don’t intimidate.”
In a post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at the Election Commission over its ultimatum to Rahul Gandhi, saying the LoP in Lok Sabha had only cited facts from the poll body’s data and accused the ECI of incompetence and partisanship.
“As far as the CEC’s threats to Rahul Gandhi are concerned, all that needs to be said is that the LoP in the Lok Sabha had simply stated facts revealed by the ECI’s own data. The ECI stands thoroughly exposed not only for its incompetence but also for its blatant partisanship,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Ramesh added that the key issue now is whether the ECI will fully implement the Supreme Court’s directive to publish the details of 65 lakh voters in a searchable format. He noted that the Court had also permitted the use of Aadhaar IDs as proof of voter identity in the Bihar SIR process, stressing that the ECI is constitutionally bound to comply and that the nation is waiting and watching.