New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Arvind Sawant, on Thursday, backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of large-scale voter manipulation, saying the issue was “serious and painful for democracy” and demanded a thorough investigation.

Addressing reporters in Mumbai, Sule said that Rahul Gandhi had “raised the right issue” by presenting detailed data and statistics on alleged “vote-chori” in Karnataka’s Aland constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections.

“This is a matter of huge concern and it should be investigated. Are voting rights being snatched? This is a painful matter for a healthy democracy,” she remarked.

On being asked about similar claims from leaders in other constituencies, Sule added that both she and party member Amol Kolhe had won from Baramati and Shirur respectively.

“Begin an inquiry from us, despite the fact that we won. This is not about Opposition or ruling party. We are not raising these issues just because we sit in the Opposition,” she clarified.

Responding to BJP’s charge that Opposition leaders were flagging “vote-chori” only after setbacks in Assembly polls and that opposition leaders were fleeing to join the ruling dispensation, Sule said defections from Opposition ranks were the result of pressure from central probe agencies.

“This is because of ED, CBI, Income Tax. We have all seen how aggressively these agencies worked. That has cooled down a bit now. We don’t have the kind of machine that the BJP has,” she alleged.

Emphasising the seriousness of the charge, Sule added, “On vote-chori, data doesn’t lie.”

Shiv Sena-UBT MP Arvind Sawant also lent support to Rahul Gandhi’s claims, accusing the Election Commission of opacity.

“Rahul Gandhi is now presenting clearly how vote-chori is being done. During the Assembly elections, 40 lakh new voters were added. Yet the ECI is not even sharing the CCTV footage of voting after 5 p.m.,” Sawant told reporters.

Their remarks came hours after Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference in Delhi, alleged systemic voter roll manipulation and attempts to delete thousands of votes in Aland constituency, holding the BJP and the Election Commission responsible.

–IANS

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