EC to hold press conference on Sunday amid 'vote theft' allegations

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) will hold a press conference on Sunday amid allegations of “vote theft” levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and relentless protest by opposition parties over the intensive electoral roll revision in Bihar.

It is unusual for the poll authority to convene a formal press conference on issues other than announcing election schedules.

The subject of the press conference has not been specified but officials said it is related to allegations levelled against the EC.

Gandhi has repeatedly accused the poll panel of voter-data fudging and alleged that there was “vote theft” in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana.

The commission has asked the Congress leader to submit the names of those he claims have been wrongfully added or removed from the voters’ list, along with a signed declaration.

The poll authority has even gone to the extent of seeking an apology from the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha if he fails to give an undertaking to back his allegations.

The EC’s move to hold a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in Bihar too is facing questions from opposition parties who claim that the move will disenfranchise crores of eligible citizens due to want of papers.

The Supreme Court has also asked the EC to publish the details of the 65 lakh deleted names from the voters’ list, with reasons of non-inclusion, to enhance transparency in the SIR in Bihar.

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