"ECI's press conference shrouded in arrogance": Karnataka CM Siddaramiah

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 18 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah on Monday said that the Election Commission of India did not address concerns regarding "electoral manipulation" raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which only strengthens "suspicions" about the activities of the poll body.
In a post on X, CM Siddaramiah said, "The Election Commission of India (ECI) finally spoke - not out of duty, but because the Congress, the INDIA Alliance, the civil society, and even the Supreme Court forced it to. And when it did, the mask slipped."
"Instead of behaving like an impartial referee, the @ECISVEEP looked like it was reading straight from the BJP's script. Yesterday's press conference didn't answer questions raised by LoP Shri @RahulGandhi - it only confirmed suspicions," he said.
CM Siddaramaiah said that the poll body's press conference was filled with arrogance.
"The ECI's press conference was shrouded in arrogance, as if we must be grateful that it chose to speak directly, instead of hiding behind nameless, faceless "sources". But what the country saw was not accountability, but an attempt to intimidate and deflect," he said.
"Rahul Gandhi had shown serious mismatches in Bengaluru Central, using the ECI's own data. From that one example, it is obvious that such anomalies exist in many other constituencies too. Instead of answering, the ECI tried to threaten the Opposition. The Chief Election Commissioner asked for affidavits and oaths, as if its own numbers need certification before they can be trusted. This is absurd," he added.
Karnataka CM further said that a "responsible" ECI would have addressed the opposition's concerns seriously.
"By refusing to do so, it has only strengthened the suspicion that it is working hand in glove with the ruling party. And when it claimed to be "impartial" towards both ruling and opposition parties, it sounded less like truth and more like a bad joke. The ECI's dismissal of concerns about fake and duplicate voters was equally shocking. It brushed them aside saying no one raised objections during the 45-day claims window, so the matter is closed. This is nothing but an excuse to escape responsibility," CM said.
"The truth is, it took time for @INCIndia to expose these irregularities because the ECI itself made the data inaccessible. We had to dig through thousands of pages in just one assembly segment of Bengaluru Central to uncover the mismatches. If this is the situation in one seat, imagine the scale across the country," he added.
CM said that no press conference or "grand speech" will cover up the truth, and ECI has to protect the interests of citizens in the country.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday refuted all the recent "vote theft" claims made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on the Election Commission of India (ECI) while addressing a press conference in the national capital.
He termed allegations of bias by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabhas an "insult" to the Constitution of India.
CEC also asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to either furnish a signed affidavit or apologise to the nation for his remarks.
"An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi (There is no third option.) If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless." CEC Gyanesh Kumar said. (ANI)