In recent weeks, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has launched a series of accusations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging "vote theft" and accusing the poll body of not fulfilling its duties. These allegations, initially focused on irregularities in the 2024 Maharashtra polls, have now extended to a specific constituency in Karnataka and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Gandhi claims to possess "100 per cent proof" of the ECI allowing cheating in a Karnataka seat, further asserting that his party has uncovered the modus operandi of the alleged "vote theft" through manipulated voter lists.

Gandhi's accusations have been met with strong rebuttals from the ECI, which has asserted that all elections are conducted strictly in accordance with the laws passed by Parliament and established rules. The ECI has also urged Gandhi to refrain from making baseless allegations and to await the High Court's verdict if an election petition has been filed. The poll body has highlighted the transparency of the electoral process, noting that electoral rolls are shared with all recognized political parties and that there are provisions in place to address claims and objections.

Gandhi's allegations regarding the Karnataka constituency stem from an internal review conducted by the INDIA bloc, which reportedly revealed discrepancies in voter lists, including manipulated additions and deletions. Gandhi stated that his team digitized the full voter list of one constituency, revealing phantom voters, unexplained additions, and duplicated entries. He has also claimed that similar irregularities have been found in Maharashtra, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. Specifically, he pointed to a significant increase in voter lists in certain constituencies in Maharashtra, with some booths seeing a surge of 20-50%. He also accused the ECI of not providing necessary data to verify the voters.

In Bihar, Gandhi has accused the ECI of being caught "red-handed" stealing votes in the name of SIR, a special intensive revision of electoral rolls. He questioned whether the poll body has become the BJP's "Election Chori branch". These allegations have been echoed by other opposition leaders, who have raised concerns about the poll panel's ongoing SIR in Bihar.

The ECI has refuted these allegations, with Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar asserting that the electoral rolls were prepared with "full transparency" and shared with recognized parties. He noted that while approximately 9.17 lakh claims and objections were received between the draft and final rolls, no appeals were filed despite legal provisions to challenge wrongful additions or deletions.

The ECI's response to Gandhi's claims has been firm, with sources within the poll body dismissing the allegations as baseless and urging him to await the High Court's verdict. The ECI has also emphasized that the entire electoral process involves thousands of personnel, including booth-level agents appointed by various political parties, ensuring checks and balances.

Despite the ECI's clarifications and rebuttals, Gandhi has persisted with his claims of irregularities, demanding the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage. He has also warned the ECI that it will not get away with the alleged electoral fraud, stating that "we are going to come for you". This ongoing conflict between Gandhi and the ECI highlights the heightened scrutiny and tensions surrounding the electoral process, particularly as key state polls approach.