affidavit-or-apology-cec-gives-rahul-gandhi-seven-day-ultimatum

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday issued a sharp warning to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations that the Election Commission colluded with the BJP to “steal” elections, stating that the Congress leader must either submit an affidavit supporting his claims or apologise to the nation.

 

Responding to a question at a press conference, the Chief Election Commissioner rejected Gandhi’s contention that his oath as a Member of Parliament is sufficient. He explained that if a complainant is not a voter of the constituency in question, the law requires that person to lodge the complaint as a witness and submit a sworn affidavit before the electoral registration officer.

 

“Give an affidavit or apologise to the nation. There is no third option. If an affidavit is not given within seven days, this means that all allegations are baseless,” Kumar said.

 

#WATCH | Delhi: On Rahul Gandhi's allegations against ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, "...An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means… pic.twitter.com/AJVbxEdPja

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2025

 

Rahul Gandhi had previously argued that he had already taken an “oath on the Constitution” and therefore did not need to submit any further sworn statement when accusing the Commission of manipulating the Bihar electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Also read: ECI hits back at ‘vote theft’ allegations, calls them misleading

 

The Election Commission’s response followed Gandhi’s repeated assertions that electoral rolls were being altered to benefit the ruling party and that “elections are being stolen across the country”.

 

Gandhi, while launching his 1,300-km Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram on Sunday, again accused the poll body of colluding with the BJP. “In the whole country, Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being stolen, and their last conspiracy is to delete and add voters through SIR to steal the elections in Bihar,” he said.

 

Following the press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the Chief Election Commissioner of “acting like an agent of the BJP”.

 

The Election Commission has categorically rejected the allegations, insisting that the electoral roll revision in Bihar is being conducted transparently with participation from all political parties, and that baseless accusations only undermine public trust in democratic institutions.