By News Karnataka
Copyright newskarnataka
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Friday said that he “welcomed” the notice served to him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and requested the agency to grant him time till mid-October for physical appearance. He alleged that such summonses have become routine ahead of elections and are aimed at harassing the opposition.
Rawat responds to CBI summons
Speaking to ANI, Rawat said, “When elections are near, such notices come, so I welcome the notice. I will respect your summons and appear before you.” He added that he had sought time till mid-October for compliance with the agency’s directive.
The CBI notice comes at a politically sensitive time, with opposition leaders claiming that central agencies are being increasingly used to target them in the run-up to elections.
Defence of Rahul Gandhi’s allegations
A day before receiving the CBI notice, Rawat had backed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s recent allegations of “vote theft” in Karnataka’s Aland constituency. He said Gandhi had “revealed a harsh truth” about electoral malpractice, adding that the Election Commission was acting like a “political party” rather than an impartial institution.
“Rahul Gandhi has revealed a harsh truth that we’ve all sensed over the last few elections. The votes from a particular segment of society and followers of a specific ideology have been suddenly deleted. At the same time, many other names have been added with unverifiable addresses. These votes are being transferred from other places. This is a very serious issue,” Rawat told ANI.
Allegations against the Election Commission
Rawat criticised the Election Commission (EC) for dismissing the opposition’s allegations instead of ordering an independent probe. He claimed that the EC was avoiding direct answers and undermining democratic principles.
“Instead of conducting an independent investigation, the Election Commission is dismissing these allegations and avoiding answering questions. They are acting like a political party,” Rawat said.
Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” claim
Rahul Gandhi, addressing a press conference earlier in the day, alleged that over 6,000 votes were attempted to be deleted in the Aland constituency ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. According to Gandhi, the malpractice was caught when a booth-level officer noticed her uncle’s vote missing and further verification revealed unauthorised deletions.
The Election Commission, however, rejected Gandhi’s charges. In a detailed statement, the poll body clarified that no wrongful deletion of electors had taken place in Aland and that “no deletion of votes can be done online by any member of the public.”
It also reiterated that deletions are carried out only after issuing a notice to the concerned voter, ruling out arbitrary removals.
The back-to-back developments — Rawat backing Gandhi’s “vote theft” allegations and receiving a CBI notice the following day — have further fuelled political debate. While Congress leaders maintain that central agencies are being misused to suppress opposition voices, the Election Commission has firmly denied any malpractice in the Aland constituency, underscoring the rising tensions ahead of upcoming elections.
