NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged a “huge criminal fraud” in polls was being perpetrated through a “collusion” between BJP and EC, citing a Congress study that claimed the addition of fake voters in an assembly segment led to BJP winning the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in 2024.Making a presentation at a presser, he also alleged assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana were “stolen” through voter manipulation. He claimed to have discerned a pattern of BJP winning LS seats by sweeping a solitary assembly segment.The chief electoral officers of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana asked the Congress MP to back up his claims. They told him that necessary action would be initiated if he repeats his claims on oath, declaring them to be “true to the best of his knowledge and belief”.In separate letters to him, all three asked him to sign and give his “declaration” immediately “along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that proceedings can be initiated”. If the evidence sought from Rahul is found false, it shall invite a jail term of up to three years under Section 227/229 of BNS and up to a year’s imprisonment under Section 31 of Representation of the People Act, 1950, they said.
