Smriti Irani alleges booth capture in Amethi

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Monday alleged that the Congress workers were capturing booths and forcing voters to cast their vote for the Congress.

Irani tweeted a video of a woman who claimed that she was made to vote for the Congress. The woman said that one of the officials forcibly put her finger on the Congress button.

"Alert @ECISVEEP Congress President @RahulGandhi ensuring booth capturing," her tweet said.

She told reporters that Rahul Gandhi was now resorting to stealing votes. "They said that 'chowkidar chor hai', but they are the ones who are stealing votes. Rahul Gandhi will have to answer for such acts and the administration must look into the matter," she said.

Her supporters said that they would soon lodge a formal complaint with the returning officer in this regard.

Irani is the BJP candidate in Amethi and is contesting against Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The two are locked in a fierce battle.

Gandhi is seeking a re-election from Amethi against Irani, who lost the 2014 polls by just over a lakh votes.

--IANS

amita/in