The I.N.D.I. Alliance, led by the Congress party, has been repeatedly accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being involved in voter fraud. These allegations have been fact-checked several times in the past, and each time the claims have been found to be misleading or false. Despite this, the accusations have not stopped. The latest controversy involves Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP), which went as far as to allege that the Election Commission was acting like “Dhritrashtra” instead of presenting proof to back its charges.

What unfolded next exposed how the Samajwadi Party fabricated documents to tarnish the image of the Election Commission and also targeted the ruling BJP. The party claimed that more than 18,000 affidavits of voters were submitted to the Election Commission of India, but investigations revealed that many of these were in the names of voters who were no longer alive. This revelation has further weakened SP’s credibility in its ongoing campaign against the electoral body.

How the fresh controversy began

The controversy started on 25th August when a video featuring Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun was posted by the official Samajwadi Party media cell account. In the video, Arun alleged that votes were stolen in Kannauj. At the same time, he also expressed complete faith in the Election Commission of India, stating that it was actively working to resolve major electoral issues.

Arun further highlighted a case where a single individual’s name appeared multiple times in the voter list, and he said the commission was fixing the error. He then accused Samajwadi Party leaders of engaging in vote theft during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Kannauj. He also directly challenged Akhilesh Yadav to examine the facts and give an explanation. This was particularly significant because Akhilesh Yadav had defeated BJP’s Subrat Pathak by 1.70 lakh votes in Kannauj, making the charge politically sensitive.

The SP media cell, while sharing the footage, responded sarcastically: “So what’s the problem? Get the SDM suspended. The government is yours and you are the minister.” They even tagged the Election Commission of India in the post.

Soon after, the Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh replied with an official statement: “The concern has been noted and the District Election Officer of Kannauj has been directed to initiate a prompt as well as thorough investigation and to undertake appropriate and effective actions.”

SP intensifies its allegations

Instead of waiting for the investigation to conclude, the Samajwadi Party escalated its allegations. The party insisted that the Election Commission was giving attention only to complaints raised by ruling party members, while ignoring opposition submissions.

The SP media cell declared: “When the opposition voices concerns, you fail to acknowledge them, let alone address the valid points highlighted by them and the unethical actions conducted by election officials in collaboration with the ruling party. You do not even recognize these matters. Now, as MLAs and ministers from the BJP question the Election Commission, it is acknowledging and responding to these inquiries.”

The party went further, demanding strict punishment against officials allegedly working with the BJP: “When will the District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates implicated in electoral misconduct with the BJP be suspended? When will measures be implemented against them in accordance with sedition laws, as electoral misconduct is a direct infringement of the Constitution and is classified as treason.”

The frustration of being out of power was evident when SP leaders again attacked the Election Commission, branding it as “Dhritarashtra.” The party alleged that the BJP had committed fraud in the last assembly elections. The SP media cell claimed: “The assembly elections of 2022 along with all by-elections were marred by corruption facilitated by the BJP while the Election Commission similar to Dhritarashtra, remained complicit by tacitly endorsing the fraudulent activities.”

Raising the affidavit issue, SP further alleged: “What measures were implemented regarding the over 18 thousand affidavits and the grievances raised by the public? Instead, there have been alarming reports of intimidation directed at the complainants which is profoundly disgraceful. The public’s confidence in the Election Commission has been entirely undermined, leading to a widespread belief that the commission merely serves as an extension of the BJP and is involved in the electoral malpractices of the saffron party.”

UP CEO Challenges SP’s Claims with Facts

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh immediately countered the claims made by the Samajwadi Party with detailed clarifications. He stated, “Concerning the complaint associated with 18 thousand affidavits which has been frequently referenced, it is important to clarify that not a single voter’s affidavit has been received in its original format. The complaint submitted by the Samajwadi Party has led to the acquisition of scanned copies of affidavits from approximately 3919 different individuals via email.”

He went on to explain that this complaint covered 74 assembly constituencies across 33 districts. Out of these, the inquiry in five assembly constituencies has already been completed, and the results have been shared publicly through X (formerly Twitter).

The investigation revealed disturbing facts. In these constituencies, several affidavits had been fabricated in November 2022 using the names of people who had died years earlier. In addition, some individuals, when shown the scanned copies of affidavits supposedly submitted in their name, denied ever providing them. Highlighting the seriousness of this fraud, the CEO reminded that “It is important to note that, under the law, providing false evidence is deemed a criminal offense.”

Instead of addressing the findings with facts, the Samajwadi Party again shifted to political rhetoric. The SP media cell claimed, “The truth cannot be concealed through deceitful cover-ups and misleading statements. It has now been disclosed to the public, resulting in the Election Commission’s loss of credibility. Evidence of collusion with the BJP has been established and the people has now risen to defend its rights.”

UP CEO Fact-Checks Akhilesh Yadav’s Math

Earlier, on 21st August, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had made another strong claim. He declared, “The Mathematics of Justice: 18000 – 14 = 17986. From the Election Commission to the District Magistrate and from the Circle Officer to the Lekhpal, despite all their manipulations, the ‘BJP-Election Commission-District Magistrate trio’ has only succeeded in providing ‘incomplete, half-baked’ explanations for merely 14 out of the 18000 affidavits we submitted.”

He further alleged, “Even after deducting those 14 from the 18000 affidavits, 17986 still remain unaccounted for. This represents the mathematics of justice.” He also assured that when his PDA (Pichda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) government comes to power, there would be no suppression of rights or voter fraud.

The UP CEO, however, offered an immediate clarification. He stated that the complaint was received through email from the Samajwadi Party’s official ID and was related to the alleged wrongful removal of four voters from the 383-Chakia assembly constituency in Chandauli district. Along with this, a total of 37 emails were received, carrying scanned copies of affidavits from 3919 voters spread across 74 constituencies in 33 districts.

The CEO added that in the Chakia case, the complaint included scanned affidavits for four voters. After on-site verification, the Electoral Registration Officer, who also serves as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Chakia, confirmed that “It is hereby communicated to the general public that the names of all four voters referenced in the aforementioned complaint are properly listed in the voter registry.”

During the field visit, the four voters themselves confirmed that they had never submitted any affidavit and had not filed a complaint about wrongful deletion of their names. This finding completely exposed the falsehood behind the claims.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar: No Affidavits Received

To make the matter even clearer, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated during a press conference on 17th August that the Election Commission of India had not received any affidavits from Akhilesh Yadav or from Uttar Pradesh. His statement contradicted SP’s repeated assertion that affidavits had been filed alleging voter deletions and irregularities during the 2022 assembly elections.

Reports from District Magistrates also confirmed that certain names were removed from voter rolls only because of genuine reasons such as death, migration, or duplication. In cases where names appeared more than once, one entry was removed as per the legal guidelines.

What Asim Arun Said in His Video

Adding to the controversy, Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun explained irregularities in the voter list during a video statement. He pointed out that two booths in Adangapur and Gawal Maidan of Kannauj included the names of Nawab Singh, a local political figure once called the “mini chief minister of Kannauj” due to his links with the Samajwadi Party, along with his brothers Veerpal Yadav and Kalyan Singh.

Arun demanded that the District Election Officer should investigate the case thoroughly and take strict legal action against the guilty. He also noted that Nawab Singh, who faces serious charges including a rape case, is currently in jail. He emphasized, “The ECI should conduct a proper probe for the purification of the voters list. He will give additional proof regarding the irregularities. The Samajwadi Party should apologise for indulging in fraud in the voter list of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency.”