Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has ignited a political firestorm with serious allegations of electoral irregularities in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
In a series of high-profile presentations and public statements, Mr. Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate voter lists and ‘steal’ elections, prompting sharp rebuttals from the ECI and the BJP, and fueling a broader debate about the integrity of India’s democratic processes.
What does Rahul Gandhi’s allege?
Rahul Gandhi held a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, presenting what he described as an ‘atom bomb’ of evidence pointing to systematic electoral fraud.
His primary focus was the Mahadevapura Assembly segment within Karnataka’s Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency, where he claimed 1,00,250 fraudulent votes swung the seat in favor of the BJP. According to Mr. Gandhi, a six-month investigation by a 40-member Congress research team uncovered multiple irregularities, including 11,965 duplicate voters registered across polling booths or even in different states, 40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses, such as ‘House No. 0’ and similar entries.
He alleged that 10,452 bulk voters were registered at single addresses, including one instance of 80 voters allegedly linked to a 10-15 square foot property.
Rahul Gandhi added that 4,132 voters had invalid or missing photographs, while 33,692 misused Form 6.
The Congress leader alleged that these irregularities were not isolated but part of a broader pattern, also seen in Maharashtra, where he claimed one crore new voters appeared on electoral rolls between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, allegedly favoring the BJP. He argued that this sudden voter surge, combined with the ECI’s refusal to provide machine-readable voter lists and the destruction of CCTV footage after 45 days, pointed to institutional collusion. ‘The Election Commission is helping the BJP destroy the electoral system in India,’ Rahul Gandhi alleged, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured his third term by ‘stealing only 25 seats’ with narrow margins.
At a ‘Vote Adhikar Rally’ in Bengaluru on August 8, Gandhi escalated his accusations, urging the Congress-led Karnataka government to investigate and take action against those responsible for the alleged fraud in Bangalore Central. He also demanded that the ECI release digital voter lists and polling booth videography from the past decade to expose what he called a ‘crime against the Indian Constitution.’
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray backed his claims, with Kharge alleging that the BJP-led NDA government lacked moral legitimacy due to’vote theft.’ Shashi Tharoor urged the ECI to address the concerns transparently, while CPI MP P. Santhosh Kumar criticized the poll body for ignoring opposition proposals.
Election Commission responds
The ECI responded swiftly, dismissing Mr. Gandhi’s claims as ‘baseless’ and ‘misleading.’ On August 7, the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka issued a letter demanding that Rahul Gandhi submit a signed declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, listing specific names of ineligible or excluded voters to initiate legal proceedings. The ECI argued that without such a declaration, Mr. Gandhi’s allegations lacked credibility and warranted an apology to the nation.
The poll body also addressed Rahul Gandhi’s specific grievances. On the issue of digital voter lists, the ECI noted that a similar Congress demand was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2019 in the case of Kamal Nath vs. ECI. Regarding CCTV footage, it explained that retaining footage beyond 45 days, unless an election petition is filed, is impractical, as reviewing footage from one lakh polling stations would take approximately 273 years. The ECI further clarified that electoral rolls remain publicly available on its website, countering Rahul Gandhi’s claim of withheld data.
In a pointed rebuttal, the ECI highlighted what it saw as a contradiction: the Congress-led Karnataka government was using the same electoral rolls for its caste census policy, suggesting their authenticity. ‘If the rolls are fraudulent, why is the Congress government relying on them?’ ECI sources asked.
Rahul Gandhi rejected the demand for a formal affidavit, asserting that his oath as an MP in Parliament, sworn on the Constitution, sufficed. ‘I’m saying it publicly, so take it as an oath,’ he declared, accusing the ECI of evading accountability by focusing on procedural demands rather than addressing the evidence.
BJP rebuts Rahul’s claims
Accusing Rahul Gandhi of frustration, the BJP dismissed his allegations as ‘political theatrics’ born of electoral frustration. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav accused Mr. Gandhi of using ‘threatening language’ unbecoming of the Leader of Opposition, while BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad called the claims ‘irresponsible and shameless,’ arguing that they insulted the public’s mandate. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis labeled Rahul Gandhi’sMaharashtra allegations ‘absurd,’ questioning his mental clarity.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra pointed out that Congress celebrated its 99 Lok Sabha seats, which seemed inconsistent with claims of a compromised ECI. ‘If the system is rigged, how did you win so many seats?’ he asked. The party also emphasized that Mahadevapura has historically been a BJP stronghold, suggesting the Congress was misrepresenting routine electoral patterns.