BJP’s Amethi candidate and Union minister Smriti Irani has alleged that the Congress workers were capturing booths and forcing voters to cast their vote for the ‘panja’ symbol in the constituency. Irani tweeted a video of an elderly woman who said that she was forced to press the button for the Congress party inside the booth against her wish. The woman said that she wanted to cast her ballot in favour of the BJP. Irani also tagged the Election Commission of India and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in her tweet.
“Alert Election Commission of India, Congress president Rahul Gandhi ensuring booth capturing,” her tweet reads.
Watch Video:
Alert @ECISVEEP Congress President @RahulGandhi ensuring booth capturing. https://t.co/KbAgGOrRhI
— Chowkidar Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) May 6, 2019
Speaking to reporters, Irani said that Rahul was resorting to “stealing” votes because of fear. She said that the Congress president will have to answer for such acts and demanded that the administration look into the matter at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the BJP has said that it will file a formal complaint with the returning officer with regard to reports of booth capturing in Amethi.
The BJP has fielded Smriti Irani once against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. In 2014, Irani had given Rahul a tough fight, reducing the winning margin of 1.08 lakh votes against 3.50 lakh votes in 2014. Rahul is seeking re-election from here for a fourth consecutive term.