Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday hit out at the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of denying the receipt of affidavits submitted by his party in Uttar Pradesh.

In a post on X, Yadav presented a receipt and said, “The Election Commission, which is saying that it has not received the affidavits submitted by the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, should check the acknowledgement issued by its own office as proof of receipt of our affidavits.”

He further demanded that the ECI authenticate the digital acknowledgement it had issued. “This time we demand that the Election Commission give an affidavit that the digital receipt sent to us is correct, otherwise along with the ‘Election Commission’, ‘Digital India’ will also come under suspicion.”

Concluding his statement, Yadav remarked, “If BJP goes, truth will come!”

The statement came hours after the Election Commission gave Rahul Gandhi a seven-day deadline to either submit an affidavit with evidence or issue a public apology over “vote chori” claim.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said at a press meet in New Delhi, “An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means that all these allegations are baseless.”

The Chief Election Commissioner also rejected allegations of double voting and “vote theft” as baseless. He asserted that all stakeholders are working to make the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) a success in a transparent manner.

Earlier in the day, Yadav said the Election Commission carried the “historic responsibility” of safeguarding democracy. “The Election Commission needs not just reforms but a complete transformation. Today, the historic duty of protecting democracy rests on its shoulders. We understand that it faces various unwarranted pressures, but it must not think it stands alone,” Yadav said in a statement.

“When the Election Commission chooses the right course, crores of Indians will stand behind it as its shield. When one walks the path of truth, people and their faith walk along. A single correct and bold step by the commission can ensure the future and well-being of endless generations. Everyone must listen to the voice of their conscience,” he added.

The Samajwadi Party chief claimed that his party had submitted 18,000 affidavits on “vote theft” but the poll body had not acted. “The list keeps getting longer. There has been no response on the wrongdoings we pointed out, nor on the affidavits we submitted,” Yadav alleged.

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With inputs from PTI.

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