In a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi has accused the poll body of working in tandem with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to commit large-scale voter fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha and subsequent Assembly elections. Speaking at a rally in Bengaluru on Friday, Gandhi claimed that electoral malpractice in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Bihar tipped results in favour of the BJP, calling it nothing less than “the murder of democracy.”
Maharashtra and Karnataka at the Centre of Allegations
Gandhi alleged that Maharashtra saw an “unbelievable” surge of one crore new voters in the Assembly polls held just four months after the Lok Sabha elections. “In the Lok Sabha elections, these voters were absent. They magically appeared in the Assembly polls — and that gave BJP the victory,” he charged.
In Karnataka, he said Congress had expected to win 16 Lok Sabha seats but secured only nine, blaming what he called “fraudulent schemes” for the setback.
Attack on Constitutional Institutions
The Congress leader accused the BJP of systematically eroding constitutional institutions, including the ECI. “Every Indian citizen has the right to vote. The BJP and Election Commission are destroying the Constitution,” he declared. Gandhi alleged that the poll body had also blocked access to voter data websites in states like Rajasthan and Bihar to conceal irregularities.
Demand for Complete Poll Records
Gandhi called on the ECI to release full videography of polling processes from the past 10–15 years, along with machine-readable voter lists. “That will be the smoking gun proving votes were stolen across the country,” he said, insisting that the ECI belongs to the nation, not to any political party.
He also cited a six-month Congress investigation in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly constituency that allegedly found over one lakh fraudulent votes, including duplicates, fake addresses, and even 68 voters registered at a brewery.
ECI and BJP Hit Back
The ECI has asked Gandhi to submit a sworn affidavit with evidence of voter roll manipulation. Gandhi dismissed the need, saying, “My word is my oath.” The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer has given him a deadline to submit detailed proof.
BJP leaders mocked the allegations, with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis quipping, “His chip is stolen, his hard disc corrupted.” The party accused Gandhi of “selective outrage” to mask electoral defeats.
Nationwide Debate on Electoral Integrity
The controversy has reignited a national debate over the fairness of India’s elections. Observers say the ECI’s response to Gandhi’s allegations will be crucial in restoring public confidence in the democratic process.
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