Vote chori row: BJP says Pawan Khera holds 2 voter IDs; Congress leader uses charge to target EC

NEW DELHI: A political row erupted on Tuesday after BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that Congress leader Pawan Khera holds two active voter ID cards, a charge Khera denied while questioning the Election Commission ’s handling of electoral rolls .

Amit Malviya in a post on X said, "It has now emerged that Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis, holds two active EPIC numbers (in Jangpura and New Delhi Assembly constituencies, falling under East Delhi and New Delhi Lok Sabha seats respectively)." He added, "It is now for the Election Commission to investigate how Pawan Khera holds two active EPIC numbers, and whether he voted multiple times, a clear violation of electoral laws."

Responding, Pawan Khera said, "This is exactly what the Congress party is saying. This is the question that we are raising regarding the working of the Election Commission... This list is available with the BJP leaders as well as EC. Congress keeps asking for the list but never gets it... I would like to know from the Election Commission that who is being made to cast vote from New Delhi constituency in my name. I want the CCTV footage. I shifted from there in 2016. I followed the procedure to get my name deleted from there. But why is my name still there? This is what Rahul Gandhi has been challenging since 7th August till date... There are hundreds and thousands of such names in every constituency of India. These are being misused... Under SIR, they are legitimising such errors. So, we are objecting to the SIR as it is taking place right now."

Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari escalated the attack, accusing the Congress of " vote chori ." "For the past few days, the nation has been watching as Rahul Gandhi goes to every corner of the country and calls the common citizens of the country fake and thieves... The media head of Rahul Gandhi's Congress party, Pawan Khera has two EPIC numbers... Rahul Gandhi's close aide is involved in vote rigging. The Representation of the People Act 1951, Section 62, subclause 2, states that no person can vote in more than one assembly constituency... Now I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, will he accept, the real ‘chor’ is Pawan Khera," he said.

In another statement, Bhandari added, "...We want to ask five questions to Rahul Gandhi. Was he aware of the multiple EPIC IDs of Pawan Khera? Will he call Pawan Khera a vote chor? Will he admit that the Gandhi-Vadra family is against SIR to protect their vote fraud? They promote infiltration... How was Sonia Gandhi’s name in the electoral roll when, in 1980, she was not a citizen of India?... Will he accept that Congress itself is involved in vote chori?... Rahul Gandhi and other leaders involved in this vote fraud should apologise to the nation..."

Malviya also accused Khera of attempting to mislead voters. "As if the criminality of holding multiple votes isn’t enough, Pawan Khera is holding malicious press conferences in Bihar to mislead voters, create dissonance, and undermine India’s robust electoral process," he said.

The charges come a day after Rahul Gandhi concluded the INDIA bloc’s 1,300-km "Voter Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar, where he alleged large-scale irregularities in electoral rolls and sharpened his attack on the Centre with the phrase "vote chori."

At the Patna rally, Rahul Gandhi declared, "I want to tell the BJP people. Have you heard of anything bigger than an atom bomb? It is a hydrogen bomb. BJP people, be ready, a hydrogen bomb is coming. People are soon going to find out the reality of vote chori." He added, "In the coming time, I am guaranteeing you that after the hydrogen bomb (comes), Narendra Modi ji will not be able to show his face to the country."

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that a six-month analysis of voter rolls in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency revealed 40,009 fake and invalid addresses and more than 10,000 bulk voters registered at common addresses.

The Congress has also objected to the Election Commission’s ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls, alleging that the process is designed to disenfranchise voters ahead of assembly polls in Bihar later this year.