Bengaluru, Sept. 19 -- Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami today defended the Election Commission against allegations of "vote chori" raised by Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, stressing that intensive electoral roll revisions are standard, justified, and crucial to maintaining the integrity of elections.
Speaking about the controversy surrounding the Mahadevpur constituency in Karnataka, Gopalaswami drew on his own experience during the 2008 Karnataka assembly elections. He noted that while annual electoral roll revisions were conducted in October 2007, the assembly's sudden dissolution in November necessitated elections within six months.
In response, the Election Commission ordered a special, intensive door-to-doo...