LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa rejected the claims made by Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, that the names of Aditya Srivastava and Vishal Singh appeared in the voters’ lists of other states as well as in assembly constituencies in Varanasi and Lucknow.
Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on Thursday, had accused the Election Commission of manipulating data, stating that Aditya Srivastava (EPIC No. FPP6437040), son of S.P. Srivastava, and Vishal Singh (EPIC No. INB2722288), son of Mahipal Singh, were listed as voters in multiple constituencies, in violation of electoral rules.
He cited voter data published by the Election Commission of India on March 16, 2025, to support his claims.
However, a fact-check by CEO Rinwa revealed that the names mentioned were not listed as voters in the constituencies claimed. Gandhi alleged that Aditya Srivastava was listed as a voter in Assembly Constituency 158, Jogeshwari East, Booth No. 197 in Mumbai, and Vishal Singh in Assembly Constituency 174, Mahadevapura, Booth No. 458 in Bengaluru, and that both were also shown as voters in Assembly Constituency 173, Lucknow East, Booth No. 84.
The CEO’s office, after verifying records, clarified that Aditya Srivastava is still enrolled in Assembly Constituency 174, Mahadevapura (Booth No. 458, Part No. 1265), and Vishal Singh in the same constituency (Booth No. 513, Part No. 926). Their names do not appear in Lucknow East or Varanasi Cantt constituencies as claimed. Aditya’s name was also absent from Mumbai Suburban’s Jogeshwari East Assembly 158.
The clarification came amid rising political tension over alleged voter suppression. The CEO stressed that the allegations made during the Congress press conference were factually “incorrect” and based on a “misreading” of the electoral rolls.
Meanwhile, reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s press conference and the claims made therein, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya posted on X: “It was meant to be ‘an atom bomb’ but its echo wasn’t even as loud as Diwali crackers – just smoke and illusion.”