Why can't LS polls be considered null and void for being held on fake voter lists?: Congress hits back at BJP

New Delhi: Congress on Thursday once again brought the BJP and the Election Commission under fire asking why shouldn’t the 2024 Lok Sabha elections be nullified when ruling party MP Anurag Thakur himself provided “evidence” of manipulation of voters' list.

Accusing the poll body of double-speak, it also asked why the EC is not asking Thakur to provide evidence on oath as it demanded from Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for claims about one lakh “fake voters” in Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat.

Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera told a press conference that Thakur has “exposed the collusion” between BJP and the EC with his claims on voter list manipulation in seats from where top Opposition leaders won.

“That’s why the whole nation is now saying, ‘Vote thief, Leave the Throne'. The BJP’s press conference has proven that the previous Lok Sabha election was based on a fake voter list, so shouldn’t this election be considered fraudulent? Shouldn’t this election be canceled?” he said.

Thakur on Wednesday claimed that the voters list was manipulated in Raebareli, Wayanad, Kannauj, Diamond Harbour and demanded resignation of Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav and Abhishek Banerjee to resign.

Alleging that the BJP has stolen the Lok Sabha election and the EC facilitated it, Khera said they thank the BJP for proving the point made by Rahul that the elections in this country were fought on the basis of fake voters. He claimed that Thakur got the electronic voting list from the EC and demanded that the EC and the BJP leader make the electronic voter list data of Varanasi public.

“If the BJP has already received electronic data, then we are also waiting for the pen drive of Varanasi’s voter list. If we get it, everyone will be convinced that on the counting day, the Prime Minister received a booster dose of fake voters...If we get Varanasi's electronic voter list, we will prove that Modi is sitting in the Prime Minister's chair by stealing the election,” Khera claimed.

He said it took six months for the Congress to collect and analyse data of Mahadevapura seat because it was the paper voters list but Thakur “got the electronic voters list” of six Lok Sabha seats. "If this is not collusion, what else is?” he said adding, “nullify the Lok Sabha elections, which were fought on the basis of a fake voters list, as proved by the ruling party MP Anurag Thakur”.

Asked about criticism that Rahul has little respect for the country's institutions, Khera shot back, was Thakur trusting the institutions yesterday when he made the claims.