New Delhi, Sep 3 : Opposition leaders have come out strongly in defence of Congress leader Pawan Khera, after the BJP accused him of holding two active voter ID cards from different Delhi constituencies. Calling it a lapse on the part of the Election Commission, they rejected the allegations as politically motivated.

'So this is the mistake of the Election Commission, not of Pawan Khera,' said Congress leader Udit Raj, adding, 'If your system allows multiple EPIC numbers and voter IDs to be created, then the fault lies with the Election Commission. What mistake has Pawan Khera made in this'?

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also echoed similar concerns. Party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, 'Many BJP leaders also have multiple EPIC numbers. If someone has two EPICs, it is the EC's mistake, and it must give an explanation.'

Earlier, the Election Commission issued a formal notice to Khera after it was found that he was registered as a voter in both the New Delhi and Jangpura Assembly constituencies. The notice read: 'Notice to Shri Pawan Khera for getting himself registered in the Electoral Roll of more than one constituency.'

Congress leader Husain Dalwai also dismissed the allegations, saying, 'There is no evidence that Khera himself registered in two places. Maybe someone else did, or it was an error. I don't think he's at fault. These allegations seem deliberately planted.'

Meanwhile, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya has not only targeted Khera but also accused his wife, Kota Neelima, of holding two active EPICs, one from Khairatabad (Telangana) and another from New Delhi. Malviya posted both voter ID details on social media, calling it a serious violation of electoral norms.

Congress insiders, however, argue that such discrepancies are not uncommon and are often the result of administrative lapses by electoral authorities.

While the EC has given Khera time to respond to the notice, the political blame game continues, with the Opposition accusing the BJP of deflecting attention from real issues by creating unnecessary controversy.

/IANS