Vote ‘chori’ row: BJP steps up attack on Congress; claims Pawan Khera has 2 voter ID cards | India News

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused Congress leader Pawan Khera of holding two voter ID cards as Rahul Gandhi sharpened his attack against the Centre with his “vote chori” claim during the recently concluded “voter Adhikar Yatra” in poll-bound Bihar. In a social media post, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya urged the Election Commission to investigate whether Khera voted multiple times.“It has now emerged that Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson—who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis—holds two active EPIC numbers (in Jangpura and New Delhi Assembly constituencies, falling under East Delhi and New Delhi Lok Sabha seats respectively),” Malviya said.“It is now for the Election Commission to investigate how Pawan Khera holds two active EPIC numbers, and whether he voted multiple times—a clear violation of electoral laws,” he added.Malviya also accused Khera of holding a “malicious” press conference in Bihar to mislead voters during the INDIA bloc’s recently concluded “Voter Adhikar Yatra.”“As if the criminality of holding multiple votes isn’t enough, Pawan Khera is holding malicious press conferences in Bihar to mislead voters, create dissonance, and undermine India’s robust electoral process,” he said.Earlier, the BJP had dug up the 1980 poll roll and said that Sonia Gandhi’s name appeared on the voter list three years before she became an Indian citizen.“Sonia Gandhi’s tryst with India’s voters’ list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law. This perhaps explains Rahul Gandhi’s fondness for regularising ineligible and illegal voters, and his opposition to the SIR,” Malviya had said.This comes a day after Rahul Gandhi concluded INDIA bloc’s 1,300-km “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar.Speaking at the concluding event in Patna on Monday, the Congress leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he would not be able to “show his face to people after we bring the hydrogen bomb of vote chori.”“I want to tell the BJP people. Have you heard of anything bigger than an atom bomb? It is a hydrogen bomb. BJP people, be ready, a hydrogen bomb is coming. People are soon going to find out the reality of vote chori,” he said.“In the coming time, I am guaranteeing you that after the hydrogen bomb (comes), Narendra Modi ji will not be able to show his face to the country,” he added.Earlier, Rahul said the Congress had analysed the Mahadevapura electoral rolls over six months and found that out of 1,00,250 alleged bogus voters, 40,009 had “fake and invalid addresses” and 10,452 were “bulk voters” registered at common addresses. Examples included entries with “0” in the address field, non-existent locations, and addresses that could not be verified.The opposition has also been protesting against the special intensive revision of the electoral roll, alleging that the EC’s exercise is aimed at “disenfranchising voters” in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections due later this year.