Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday claimed that the people of Bihar are dissatisfied with the Election Commission about the allegations of ‘vote theft’. Abdullah said that the Election Commission should be true to its ideals of freedom and fairness.
Talking to reporters, Omar Abdullah said, “There are concerns about the special arrangements made for Bihar, and how useful it will be for the ruling alliance, it will be known when the results come … This is very dissatisfied with the conduct of the Election Commission … We have always been proud of the freedom and fairness of the Election Commission.
The India block led by Congress and Rahul Gandhi has been outspoken about the alleged “vote theft”. Rahul Gandhi claimed a large -scale electoral fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, especially in Bangalore Central Constituency in Karnataka, which had more than 1 lakh fake voters.
He mentioned alleged methods of rigging in voting, including duplicate voters, fake addresses, wholesale registrations, illegal photos and misuse of Form 6.
The Congress launched a “vote theft” campaign with a dedicated website (Votechori.in) and call-in numbers, urging citizens to support the demand for transparent voter list. The Election Commission termed Gandhi’s claims as “false and misleading” and asked them to submit an affidavit or apologize. Also, due to concern of privacy, the voter list was available in PDF format.
Earlier, the Congress had said that they have submitted around 89 lakh complaints to the Election Commission regarding voter lists in Bihar, the state Chief Election Officer (CEO) replied that the party did not follow the proper process of filling the prescribed form properly, as it is mandatory to submit any objection to the voter list.
In an official statement issued on X, the CEO mentioned, “The presidents of the District Congress Committees of the Indian National Congress have submitted letters to the District Election Officers in Bihar in the last 1-2 days, requesting the removal of about 89 lakh (8.9 million) people from the voter list.”
The official statement further stated that according to the rules and instructions of the Election Commission, the removal of names can only be done through “Election Registration Rules 13 of 1960, under which only Form 7 can be deposited”.
It said, “Booth level agents appointed by political parties can register objections in the prescribed format. Under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, such objections should be submitted with a manifesto.” The CEO said that the data of “89 lakh voters” mentioned in the Congress complaint was unmatched.
The official statement said that the ERO will take a ‘appropriate decision’ on the process of removing the names of about 89 lakh voters. It also states that the removal of names will be considered only after the affidavit and proper investigation.
The statement also cited an interim order of August 22 of the Supreme Court, stating that any objection regarding wrong entries in the voter list should be submitted to the concerned Election Registration Officer in the prescribed format. The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir also clarified that his party National Conference will remain part of the India block.
Abdullah said that there may be some shortage in mutual understanding, but there is no distance between him and the alliance. He also thanked the DMK for continuous support on important issues related to Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah said, “Who said that we have gone? There is not only geographical difference and distance between Jammu and Kashmir and the country, but also a lack of understanding. There is no distance or differences between the National Conference and the India Block. We will always be a part of India block … We have always been grateful to DMK that he supported Jammu and Kashmir on important issues for us.”
