New Delhi, August 7: In a serious accusation that could further deepen the political discourse surrounding electoral integrity, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission of India (EC) had colluded with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate the outcome of the 2024 general elections. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Gandhi termed it a “crime against the Constitution” and demanded judicial intervention to uphold democratic sanctity.
Citing detailed analysis conducted by the Congress over six months, Gandhi presented what he described as “concrete evidence of vote theft” in Karnataka’s Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency, specifically focusing on the Mahadevapura Assembly segment. According to the data shared, while the Congress secured victories in six out of seven assembly segments, it lost in Mahadevapura by a margin exceeding 1.14 lakh votes, despite a relatively close overall Lok Sabha contest where the BJP polled 6,58,915 votes against Congress’ 6,26,208 votes—a difference of 32,707 votes.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that over 1,00,250 votes were fraudulent in the constituency, backed by findings such as:
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- 11,965 duplicate voters in a single segment
- 40,009 voters with fake or unverifiable addresses
- 10,452 voters registered under bulk or single addresses
- 4,132 voters with invalid photographs
- 33,692 cases of alleged misuse of Form 6, typically used for new voter registration
He claimed that these irregularities amount to systematic electoral fraud, not just limited to one state but reflective of a nationwide pattern. “This is a crime against the Indian Constitution and the national flag,” Gandhi stated, calling upon the judiciary to intervene as, in his view, “the democracy we cherish no longer exists.”
In a sharp critique of the Election Commission, Gandhi asserted that if the EC continues to deny access to machine-readable electoral rolls and CCTV footage, then it is “complicit in the wrongdoing.” He accused the Commission of attempting to destroy evidence related to the alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) across India.
Gandhi emphasized that the Congress party had earlier reminded the Election Commission of its primary duty—to safeguard the electoral process, not undermine it. He linked the alleged manipulation to the BJP’s performance, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained power with a narrow majority, and that the BJP had won 25 seats by margins less than 33,000 votes, making it susceptible to targeted manipulation.
“India’s electoral system is based on the principle of one person, one vote,” Gandhi said, raising concerns about whether the electoral rolls reflect genuine citizens, and whether unauthorized or fraudulent voters were being added in strategic constituencies.
Pointing out that exit polls and internal surveys often contradict actual results, Gandhi claimed that this recurring anomaly raises suspicion. “In a functioning democracy, anti-incumbency affects every party. Yet the BJP seems immune. Why? Because elections today are choreographed, stretched across weeks, unlike earlier times when elections were conducted nationwide with minimal technology but greater transparency,” he said.
He further alleged that recent legal amendments that prevent access to CCTV footage and tamper-proof electoral data indicate a deliberate attempt to suppress transparency, reinforcing the Congress party’s belief that the EC had colluded with the ruling party to subvert electoral fairness.
As of now, the Election Commission has not officially responded to these allegations. It remains to be seen whether legal action or further political fallout will follow in the wake of Gandhi’s explosive claims.