Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Amethi and Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Monday alleged that on the direction of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the polling officials were forcing voters to cast their votes for the Congress in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.
“I tweeted an alert to administration and EC (alleging booth capturing in Amethi), hope they take action. People of the country have to decide whether this kind of politics of Rahul Gandhi should be punished or not,” Smriti said.
She also tagged a video in which an elderly women is seen alleging that her hand was forcibly put on the panja (hand) election symbol of the Congress though she wanted to vote for the kamal (lotus), the BJP’s symbol. A formal complaint was also lodged with the EC, said a BJP leader.
Smriti Irani alleged that Rahul Gandhi was trying to “steal” the mandate when the people of Amethi rejected him”. adding that he would have to reply on this.
Irani, who is camping in Amethi, alleged that a senior citizen woman complained about a presiding officer forcing her to vote for Congress. The woman, aged about 75 years, said before the media that she was forced by the presiding officer to put her finger on the Congress button on the EVM.
Rahul Gandhi, was expected to reach Amethi on Monday but his programme was cancelled.
Commenting on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Smriti Irani said, “She did not know my name five years back, now she keeps taking my name ... such an accomplishment. Nowadays she takes her husband’s name less and my name more.”
Earlier, a controversy had broke out when Smriti Irani had alleged that a person died as he was denied treatment at a hospital in Amethi, where Rahul Gandhi is a trustee, just because he had Ayushman Bharat card.
The Congress, however contradicted the allegation. Congress MLC Deepak Singh, who is camping in Amethi, said that as Smriti Irani was losing election by a huge margin,her allegations showed her frustration and desperation.
Amethi had witnessed a bitter electoral battle between the two leaders in the 2014 general election as well. Rahul Gandhi had won the seat with a reduced margin of one lakh votes compared to three lakh votes in 2009.
There are five assembly segments in the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency — Amethi Town, Gauriganj, Jagdishpur, Tiloi and Salon. Of these five assembly segments, four are represented by the BJP and one by the Samajwadi Party. Salon and Jagdishpur are reserved constituencies.