New Delhi, September 3, 2025 – The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of New Delhi has issued a show-cause notice to senior Congress leader Pawan Khera for being registered as a voter in more than one constituency, a violation of electoral laws under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The notice, issued on September 2, 2025, follows allegations by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that Khera holds two active Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) in the New Delhi and Jangpura Assembly constituencies.

Details of the Notice

The District Election Office of New Delhi shared the notice on X, stating, “Notice to Shri Pawan Khera for getting himself registered in Electoral Roll of more than one constituency.” According to the notice, Khera’s name appears in the voter lists of New Delhi (No. 40) at an address in NDMC Flats, Kaka Nagar, and Jangpura (No. 41) at an address in Nizamuddin East. The ERO emphasized that being registered in multiple constituencies is a penal offense, punishable by up to one year of imprisonment, a fine, or both. Khera has been directed to submit his response by 11 AM on September 8, 2025, failing which the Election Commission may proceed with legal action.

BJP’s Allegations

The controversy erupted after BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya accused Khera of holding two active voter IDs, with EPIC numbers XHC1992338 (Jangpura) and SJE0755967 (New Delhi). In a post on X, Malviya claimed, “Rahul Gandhi screamed ‘vote chori’ from the rooftops… it has now emerged that Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson—who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis—holds two active EPIC numbers.” He urged the Election Commission to investigate whether Khera had voted multiple times, which would constitute a serious breach of electoral law. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari further alleged that Khera’s dual registration is evidence of “voter fraud” by Congress leaders close to Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of hypocrisy in their campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.

Khera’s Response

Pawan Khera, head of Congress’s media and publicity department, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and turned the blame on the Election Commission. He claimed that the issue highlights systemic flaws in the voter roll revision process. Speaking to news agency PTI, Khera said, “I came to know from [Amit Malviya] only that I have a second EPIC card. I had applied to remove it in 2016-17, but it seems that didn’t happen, and the Election Commission is to be blamed for this.” He added that he shifted from the New Delhi constituency in 2016 and followed the procedure to have his name removed, questioning why it remained on the voter list despite multiple revisions over nine years.

Khera demanded CCTV footage to investigate who might be casting votes in his name in the New Delhi constituency. In a post on X, he accused the Election Commission of bias, stating, “Yet another confirmation of how the @ECISVEEP functions to support the ruling regime. While our complaints of Vote Chori are disregarded, the EC rushes to act against opposition members.” He further questioned why the poll body had not issued notices regarding the alleged 100,000 fake voters in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency, a case raised by Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Political Context

The notice comes amid heightened political tensions, with Congress and its ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), conducting a “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar to protest alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly accused the BJP of “vote chori” in states like Maharashtra, Haryana, and during the Lok Sabha elections, claiming that the opposition will not allow similar tactics in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The BJP, in turn, has labeled Congress’s campaign as a diversion to conceal its own electoral malpractices.

Khera’s case has added fuel to this ongoing war of words. He argued that the notice strengthens Congress’s case about the need for transparency in voter list management, stating, “This is exactly what the Congress party is saying. This is the question we are raising regarding the working of the Election Commission… This list is available to BJP leaders as well as the EC. Congress keeps asking for the list but never gets it.”

Legal Implications

Under Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, registering in more than one constituency or multiple times in the same constituency is prohibited. The Election Commission has stated it will proceed in accordance with the law based on Khera’s response or failure to comply by the deadline. The controversy has sparked a broader debate about the integrity of India’s electoral rolls and the efficiency of the voter list revision process, with both sides accusing each other of undermining the democratic process.

Conclusion

As the deadline for Khera’s response approaches, the issue is likely to remain a flashpoint in the political rivalry between the BJP and Congress. The outcome of the Election Commission’s investigation could have significant implications for Khera and the broader discourse on electoral integrity in India. For now, the Congress leader remains defiant, framing the notice as evidence of the poll body’s failure to maintain accurate voter rolls, while the BJP continues to press its allegations of voter fraud against the opposition.