Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, addressing a huge crowd in Aurangabad, Bihar on Sunday, accused the Election Commission and the BJP of carrying out a major electoral fraud and claimed that citizens’ constitutional rights were being taken away. Speaking as part of the ongoing Vote Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, Gandhi said, “I am not afraid of the Election Commission. Tejaswi (Yadav) is not afraid either. Bihar is not afraid. We have to fight for our votes and for the Constitution.”

During his speech, Gandhi shared that many people told him their names had been removed from the voter list. “The rights guaranteed by the Constitution are being snatched from you. We will show the real face of Bihar. Bihar has always led the way for the country,” he told the crowd.

Gandhi also questioned the credibility of the Election Commission following its press conference earlier in the day. “Why was the CCTV law changed? Do you know no one can file a case against the Election Commission? This law was made by Modi and Amit Shah to allow vote theft. But we won’t let that happen,” he charged.

He condemned police for setting up barricades to control the crowd, saying, “The police tried to stop you by putting up barricades, but we reached them—and so did you. This is the power of Bihar,” drawing cheers from the audience.

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**Election Commission Responds: Submit Proof or Apologize**

In a firm reply to Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” allegations, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday gave him a seven-day deadline to either submit an affidavit with evidence or issue a public apology. Without proof, the Commission declared all such charges false.

“There are only two options: submit an affidavit or apologize to the nation. If we don’t receive an affidavit within seven days, it means these allegations are baseless,” Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said during a press conference in New Delhi.

Kumar rejected claims of double voting and “vote theft,” emphasizing that all efforts are focused on conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) transparently and successfully.

Calling Gandhi’s remarks an insult to the Constitution, the Commission warned that terms like “vote chori” undermine democratic institutions. Kumar also accused political parties of using the Election Commission as a tool to target voters for political gain.