In the wake of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, which saw a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the polls were "match-fixed," raising serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process. Gandhi didn't stop there; he warned that a similar pattern could be repeated in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections later this year and "anywhere the BJP is losing."
Gandhi articulated his concerns in a detailed five-step process, which he believes was used to rig the Maharashtra Assembly election. These steps include: rigging the panel for appointing the Election Commission, adding fake voters to the roll, inflating voter turnout, targeting bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win, and hiding the evidence. He argued that the amended act to appoint Election Commissioners in 2023 favored the Centre. Gandhi also pointed to what he considers suspicious data, noting a substantial increase of 41 lakh voters between the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls within a mere five months, a figure he contrasts sharply with the 31 lakh increase over the preceding five years.
These allegations have sparked a heated debate, drawing strong reactions from both the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP. Sources within the ECI have vehemently rejected Gandhi's claims, dismissing them as "absurd" and an attempt to malign the institution. They emphasized that the electoral rolls in Maharashtra are meticulously prepared according to established legal procedures and that representatives of all political parties, including the Congress, are present throughout the process. The ECI further stated that no Congress candidates or their authorized agents had raised any credible complaints about irregular voting during scrutiny before returning officers and election observers. The commission also clarified that the increase in reported voter turnout between 5 PM and 11:45 PM is a routine part of the data aggregation process.
The BJP has also come out strongly against Gandhi's accusations. Party president JP Nadda has dismissed Gandhi's article as a "blueprint for manufacturing a fake narrative," accusing him of spreading conspiracy theories and defaming institutions out of "frustration and desperation" over repeated electoral losses. Other BJP leaders have echoed this sentiment, accusing Gandhi of undermining democratic institutions and eroding public trust in elections. BJP MLA Ram Kadam stated that Rahul Gandhi's statement is like that of a schoolchild who, after failing an exam, comes home saying the questions were from outside the syllabus.
The Congress party, however, is standing by Gandhi's claims. Mumbai Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has announced that the party will organize torchlight processions across Maharashtra on June 12 to draw public attention to what they believe is a "vote theft pattern" in the 2024 polls. Sapkal highlighted the unprecedented 8% surge in voter turnout in the 2024 elections and questioned how such an anomaly could occur with advanced technology in place.
These allegations and counter-allegations have raised serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process in India. The ECI's role as an independent and impartial body is crucial for maintaining public trust in democracy, and any attempts to undermine its credibility must be taken seriously.
As the Bihar Assembly elections draw closer, it remains to be seen whether Gandhi's warnings will materialize. However, his allegations have undoubtedly put the ECI and the BJP on the defensive, and they will need to work hard to reassure the public that the upcoming elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner.
