Bengaluru, Aug 10: The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Sunday issued a formal notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, requesting him to provide evidence backing his claim that a woman had voted twice in the state’s elections. The top election official said the requested documents would enable a thorough investigation into the allegation.
Last week, Gandhi had presented documents at a press conference in New Delhi, asserting that a woman named Shakun Rani had cast her vote twice. The CEO’s notice referred directly to these claims, stating, “You have also stated that as per the records given by the polling officer, Smt Shakun Rani had voted twice…”
However, an initial inquiry by the CEO’s office found that Shakun Rani herself denied the double voting charge, confirming that she voted only once. The notice quoted her statement: “Smt Sakun Rani has stated that she has voted only once and not twice, as alleged by you.”
The preliminary probe also revealed discrepancies regarding the documents shown by Gandhi. The CEO’s letter noted that the tick-marked document presented by the Congress leader was not issued by the polling officer. The notice read, “A preliminary inquiry conducted by the CEO’s office also revealed that the tick-marked document shown by the Congress leader in the presentation was not issued by the polling officer.”
Given these findings, the CEO urged Gandhi to submit the relevant proof supporting his claim so a detailed inquiry can be carried out. “Therefore, you are requested to provide the relevant documents on the basis of which you have concluded that Smt Shakun Rani or anyone else has voted twice, so that a detailed inquiry can be undertaken by this office,” the notice said.
