By: The Trek News Desk
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has sharply criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the controversial “House Number 0” entries in voter lists. Gandhi alleged that the Commission’s claim, stating these entries represent homeless individuals, is “completely false” and part of a deliberate attempt to manipulate the electoral process.
Congress Probe Challenges EC’s Explanation
Rahul Gandhi revealed that the Congress party conducted its own investigation into the “House No. 0” entries to uncover the truth.
“We wanted to see if the people listed under House No. 0 were actually living on the streets,” Gandhi said during a press briefing. “In one case from Haryana, a man named Narendra was shown as a resident of House No. 0. But when we verified, we found him living comfortably in his village. This isn’t an issue of homelessness; it’s about concealing real identities. And there are hundreds of such cases.”
ECI’s Defence and Rahul’s Counterclaim
Earlier in August, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had defended the use of “House No. 0,” explaining that many citizens either have unnumbered homes or no permanent shelter at all.
“The address is where that person sleeps sometimes on the roadside or under a bridge,” Kumar had said. “Labelling them as fake voters would be unjust.”
But Rahul Gandhi dismissed this justification outright. “The Chief Election Commissioner is openly misleading the people,” he said. “This is not an error; it’s a method to obstruct voter verification and hide irregularities.”
Alleged Irregularities in Haryana Voter Lists
Gandhi cited several examples from Haryana to back his charge. According to him, 66 voters were shown registered under the address of Palwal BJP vice-chairman Umesh Gudhrana, while House No. 265 in Hodal listed 500 voters who did not exist at all. In another case, a small house in Rai village House No. 1904 was shown to have 108 registered voters.
He added that Election Commission rules clearly state that if more than ten voters are registered at one address, on-ground verification must be conducted. “That rule has been completely ignored in Haryana,” he asserted.
‘EC Colluding with BJP’: Rahul’s Sharp Attack
Escalating his attack, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to influence the Haryana elections. “These officials are working hand in hand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” he alleged. “They have damaged the very foundation of democracy in our country.”
Source: News Agencies
