New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) A major controversy erupted on Thursday after Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on Thursday accused the election commission of manipulating data and said Aditya Srivastava (EPIC No. FPP6437040), son of S.P. Srivastava, and Vishal Singh (EPIC No. INB2722288), son of Mahipal Singh, have been listed as voters in multiple constituencies, a violation of electoral rules.
He referred to voter data published by the Election Commission of India on March 16, 2025, to back his claims.
However, a fact-check by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh revealed that the names mentioned are not listed as voters in the claimed constituencies.
LoP Rahul Gandhi alleged that Aditya Srivastava, listed as a voter in Assembly Constituency 158 Jogeshwari East, Booth No. 197 in Mumbai, and Vishal Singh, listed in Assembly Constituency 174 Mahadevapura, Booth No. 458 in Bengaluru.
He also said both were shown as voters in Assembly Constituency 173, Lucknow East, Booth No. 84.
However, the CEO’s office clarified after verifying records that Aditya Srivastava is still enrolled in Assembly Constituency 174, Mahadevapura (Booth No. 458, Part No. 1265), and Vishal Singh is enrolled in the same constituency (Booth No. 513, Part No. 926).
Their names do not appear in Lucknow East or Varanasi Cantt constituencies as claimed.
The clarification comes amid rising political tension over alleged voter suppression.
The CEO emphasised that the allegations made during the Congress press conference were factually “incorrect” and based on a “misreading” of the electoral rolls.
The incident raises fresh questions about the accuracy of political claims during election season and the need for fact-checking before going public with accusations.
–IANS
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