BENGALURU: A few minutes after the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleged irregularities in the election process, voters and results, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, hit out. The latter has sought for details of the allegations in writing.
In the letter to Gandhi, a copy of which is with The New Indian Express, the CEO Karnataka, Anbu Kumar said: “It is understood that during the press conference held on August 7, 2025, you (Rahul Gandhi) mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls. You (Rahul Gandhi) are also requested to sign and return the enclosed declaration/ oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of the such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated.”
Kumar told TNIE that no timeline has been given to him to submit the details. However, the prescribed format of the declaration or oath has been given, and the details need to be filled out and sent.
In the letter the Office of the CEO also detailed the time series of the draft and final electoral rolls that were shared with the Congress party in November 2024 and January 2025, respectively. It also stated that no appeals were made by the Congress party.
The Office of the CEO has also detailed the interaction time the Congress delegation sought with the CEO of Karnataka on August 8.
The declaration or oath that Gandhi needs to fill reads: “I Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament, do hereby solemnly affirm and state on oath that the statement I am about to make under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, concerning -- Name of the person whose name is proposed for inclusion/exclusion, in part No. and Serial No. is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.”
The oath also stated: “I am aware that making a false declaration in connection with electoral rolls is punishable under Section 31 of the RP Act, 1950. I also understand that giving false evidence is punishable under Sections 227 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023. I further declare that, although I am not/Iam an elector of the said constituency, I have personal knowledge relevant to this case and am making this statement voluntarily.”