NCP MP Tatkare Criticises Rahul Gandhi Over Vote Theft Allegations
In a recent media interaction, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Tatkare dismissed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft as “childish” and lacking understanding of election booth operations.
Earlier on Friday, Tatkare responded to Gandhi’s claims regarding attempted vote deletion in Karnataka’s Aland constituency. Gandhi had alleged that someone tried to delete more than 6,000 voter names in the 2023 elections in Aland. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Gandhi stated, “In Aland, Karnataka, 6018 votes, somebody tried to delete these votes. We don’t know the total number of votes deleted in the 2023 elections, but somebody got caught. It was caught, by most crimes, by coincidence. What happened was that the Booth Level officer noticed that her uncle’s vote had been deleted.”
Tatkare countered these allegations by explaining the continuous updating process of the electoral roll. He pointed out that after the electoral roll is prepared, suggestions and objections are taken into consideration. “Electoral roll is being modified all the while, and while it is published at a certain time, objections and suggestions can be taken,” he said.
Further addressing the concerns about vote manipulation, Tatkare highlighted the role of booth officers and block officers from each political party who are selected at the booth level. He questioned whether Gandhi believed that his own party workers, who are present at the booths, could have been involved in any vote theft. “Booth-level officers from each party are chosen from each party. As per him, his people were present too. Does he believe that they, too, were involved in that activity? This is the question I want to ask,” Tatkare said.
Separately, it was reported that technology advisor Pitroda had stated in a media statement that he had visited Pakistan and “felt at home,” though this comment was unrelated to the ongoing election controversy.
The NCP MP’s remarks reflect the political friction surrounding election integrity claims, with parties defending the electoral process and questioning the validity of accusations leveled by opponents.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/sam-pitroda-s-remarks-on-pakistan-unfortunate-says-ncp-mp-sunil-tatkare-23594852