The Election Commission has issued a notice to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that he was enrolled as a voter in two assembly constituencies in Delhi.
According to BJP. Khera’s name appears in the electoral rolls of both the Jangpura and New Delhi assembly segments.
The notice has been issued under Section 17 and Section 18 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibit a person from being registered in more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency. Khera has been directed to submit an explanation, along with supporting documents, by 11 am on September 8.
The notice by EC read, “As you may be aware, being registered in the electoral roll in more than one constituency is a penal offence under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
You are therefore directed to show cause as to why action should not be taken against you under the said Act.” Under election law, holding more than one active voter ID is punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both.
The Election Commission has said it will proceed in accordance with the law once Khera submits his reply or if he fails to respond by the deadline.
Reacting to the BJP’s allegations and Election Commission's notice, Khera said the poll panel was to blame for his name appearing in two assembly segments.
Khera said he had shifted out of the New Delhi constituency in 2016 and had followed the procedure to have his name deleted from there.
“I would like to know from the Election Commission who is being made to cast their vote from the 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?” he told news agency PTI.
Pawan Khera added: “This is exactly what the Congress party is saying. This is the question we are raising regarding the working of the Election Commission. This list is available to BJP leaders as well as the EC. Congress keeps asking for the list but never gets it,” he said, a reference to BJP leader Amit Malviya’s post on social media regarding the Congress leader’s name appearing in two electoral rolls.
In a post on X, Amit Malviya alleged that Khera held two active voter IDs registered in Jangpura and New Delhi.
“Rahul Gandhi screamed ‘vote chori’ from the rooftops. It has now emerged that Pawan Khera, who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis holds two active EPIC numbers,” Malviya wrote on X.
He added that it was now up to the Election Commission to determine whether Khera had voted multiple times.
“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,” he said.