New Delhi:
The Election Commission has sought a detailed report on whether
Rahul Gandhi violated the rules by entering the area where votes are actually cast in polling booths in his constituency of Amethi on Wednesday. Other parties had alleged that Mr Gandhi inspected electronic voting machines, or EVMs, in three polling booths.
Pictures of Mr Gandhi entering the special enclosure earmarked for the EVMs at three separate booths in Amethi on the day of polling were posted on Twitter by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has fielded one of its senior leaders, Kumar Vishwas, from the VIP constituency.
(Going to Voting Machine Not Allowed, Says Election Commission After AAP Tweets Against Rahul Gandhi)A caption attached to a photograph of Mr Gandhi looking down at an EVM read: "Is the candidate allowed to go to the polling machine?"
The pictures were also published in leading dailies, forcing the Election Commission to seek a report from the district magistrate-cum-returning officer of Amethi on the alleged lapses by the Congress Vice President. The returning officer had filed his report yesterday.
Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath had, while addressing a rare press conference in the middle of elections yesterday, conceded Mr Gandhi's presence in the special enclosures in Amethi, and said that the Commission was examining whether his actions had violated laws relating to secrecy of voting.
The Opposition BJP had leveraged the newspaper reports to accuse the Election Commission of acting in a partisan manner. A party delegation led by M Venkaiah Naidu had met Mr Sampath yesterday, and drew its attention to the alleged violation of electoral laws by Mr Gandhi in Amethi.
He alleged that the Congress leader had been let off despite the fact that he had inspected the EVMs during the polling hours in the special enclosures where they were stationed, whereas the Election Commission had reacted with alacrity while ordering the registration of cases against
Narendra Modi and
N Chandrababu Naidu for speaking to the media beyond the permissible limits of a polling booth.
('King can do no wrong': BJP references Rahul Gandhi to attack Election Commission)Mr Gandhi, a two-term MP from Amethi, faces off with Mr Vishwas and popular TV personality Smriti Irani of the BJP.
(Elections: full coverage)