Gayaji, Aug 18 (PTI) The Congress on Monday hit back at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying that first the poll body should submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court that its voter list is clean and then it will also give an affidavit that there are irregularities in the existing list.

The opposition party also alleged that Gyanesh Kumar sounded like a "BJP spokesperson" during his press conference in New Delhi.

The Congress made the remarks a day after the CEC served a seven-day ultimatum on party leader Rahul Gandhi to submit a signed affidavit to back his claims, else his allegations will be considered baseless and invalid.

Addressing a press conference along with party leader Kanhaiya Kumar during the Voter Adhikar Yatra here, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "As this yatra began, Gyanesh Kumar had to do a press conference. We got to know that there is a Chief Election Commissioner." "Earlier, we used to think that there would be an Anurag Thakur, a Sambit Patra or a person named source making comments but we finally saw the CEC," Khera said in Daboor where the yatra took a lunch break.

"He (Gyanesh Kumar) threatened to give an affidavit. He would get scared of threats but we don't. They don't believe their own data," he said.

Kanhaiya Kumar alleged that the BJP wants to do "vote chori" and "steal the Constitution".

"Before the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP raised the slogan of 'Ab ki baar 400 paar' and some of their outspoken leaders removed the lid on the conspiracy to change the Constitution," he claimed.

In Haryana and Maharashtra, opinion polls suggested that a Congress government would be formed but the opposite happened, Kanhaiya Kumar said.

"We asked for a machine-readable format but they refused. The EC kept saying that there is no problem but now they are saying that 'we are doing SIR to correct the issues in the voter list'," he said.

"The EC itself is saying there is something wrong in the voter list, which means that it was lying before," Kumar said.

When Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi gave proof of the irregularities in the vote' list, the EC asked him to file an affidavit, he said.

"It seemed a BJP spokesperson is speaking. And there was no reply given in the press conference," Kanhaiya Kumar said.

"We have found several irregularities. All BLOs (booth-level officers) are not getting forms filled door-to-door. The EC wants to give only data they are not bothered whether it is right or wrong. Dead people found mention in lists and living people are removed from it," he said.

"If the EC gives affidavit, we are also prepared to give an affidavit. They must show their papers first," Kumar said.

Asked what sort of affidavit they should give, Kumar said the EC's paper is a voter list and it should give it in a machine-readable format.

"Give an affidavit in the Supreme Court that your voters list is clean and then we will also give an affidavit that there are irregularities in the existing voter list," he said.

Talking about the problems being faced by the people in Bihar during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Kanhaiya Kumar said when people find that their names are not there on the draft list, they go to the BLO, but that officer is not accepting the Aadhaar card as proof of identity.

Kanhaiya Kumar said genuine voters were being harassed and cited his example that the spelling of his father's name differs in different documents due to which hurdles were being created.

People are being harassed for small errors, he claimed.

"We want to ask that 65 lakh people were removed but they should also give data how many names have been added," Kanhaiya Kumar said.

"The intentions of the EC are not clear. It is busy highlighting the face of the supreme leader," the Congress leader said and demanded a clean voters list.

If a government is formed through "chori" (theft) then such a government will not work honestly, the Congress leader said.

"SIR is a straightforward way of vote chori," he said, and urged people to come forward and fight against "vote chori" to save democracy.

Kanhaiya Kumar said the BJP is rattled "as we are getting people's support".

In a post on X earlier, Khera said, "The Election Commission of India wants us to believe that IN JUST SIX MONTHS between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra: -- Close to 40% of the electorate died/ permanently migrated in Ramtek and Devlali assembly constituencies." "Around 45% of the electorate suddenly became eligible to vote in Nashik West and Hingna assembly constituencies. Next they will announce that 2+2 = 420," he said, taking a swipe at the EC.

In his first press conference after Gandhi levelled allegations of "vote chori" in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and several opposition leaders flagged issues about the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Gyanesh Kumar asked the Congress leader to either apologise or back his claims within a week with a signed affidavit as required under electoral rules.

"Give an affidavit or apologise to the nation. There is no third option. If an affidavit is not given within seven days, this means that all allegations are baseless," said Gyanesh Kumar, flanked by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The remarks by the CEC came on a day when Gandhi-led opposition launched the 'Vote Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar and stepped up attack against the SIR of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been pressing the EC to provide a machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voter lists, alleging irregularities in the 2024 state polls. PTI ASK KSS KSS