NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 19: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday intensified his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), reiterating his allegations of “vote theft” and accusing the poll panel of failing in its constitutional duty. In a sharp jibe, Gandhi described the ECI as a “chunaav ka chaukidar” (election watchman) who “stayed awake, watched the theft, and protected the thieves.”
His remarks come a day after he directly targeted Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, claiming that the institution was shielding those who, in his words, had “destroyed democracy.” Gandhi alleged that systematic deletion of votes belonging to Congress supporters was taking place, backed by data from constituencies in Karnataka and Maharashtra.
In a Hindi post on X, Gandhi attempted to illustrate the alleged modus operandi, writing: “Wake up at 4 a.m., eliminate two voters in 36 seconds, then go back to sleep – this is how vote theft happens.” He also shared a 36-second video clip from his press conference to demonstrate the alleged fraudulent process.
The Election Commission, however, dismissed his allegations as “incorrect and baseless,” clarifying that no voter deletion could be carried out online by members of the public, contrary to what Gandhi had suggested. Officials emphasized that established checks and verifications governed the process of voter registration and deletion.
Gandhi, serving as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was undeterred. At a press conference at the Congress headquarters on Thursday, he had demanded that the CEC provide information sought by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding alleged irregularities in voter rolls. Failure to do so, he warned, would confirm that the ECI was complicit in what he described as the “murder of the Constitution.”
To substantiate his claims, Gandhi cited figures from Karnataka’s Aland assembly constituency, where he alleged 6,018 voters were targeted for deletion ahead of the 2023 polls. Similarly, in Maharashtra’s Rajura constituency, he claimed 6,850 voters were added through fraudulent means using automated software. “The same system is doing this across states – in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar – and we have proof of it,” he alleged.
Positioning the controversy as a larger battle for democracy, Gandhi declared, “The nation’s youth, the students, Gen Z – they will defend the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft. I will always stand with them. Jai Hind.”
Gandhi also suggested that what he has revealed so far is only the beginning. Describing Thursday’s allegations as “not the hydrogen bomb” he had promised earlier, he said further disclosures would follow soon, hinting at a sustained campaign against the Election Commission in the coming days.
His comments have triggered a fresh political storm, with the BJP accusing the Congress leader of “undermining democratic institutions” and spreading misinformation, while the Congress insists that it is raising legitimate concerns about electoral integrity.