The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly countered claims made by Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, regarding manipulation of electoral rolls during recent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Gandhi had alleged that the ECI was colluding with the BJP to undermine the integrity of the electoral system.
In response to Gandhi's accusations, the ECI has demanded that he substantiate his claims by signing an official oath, as per Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules 1960, and submit it to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the concerned states. This rule pertains to objections related to the electoral roll. The ECI stated that if Gandhi believes his statements to be true, he should formalize them; otherwise, he should refrain from misleading the public with unsubstantiated allegations. The poll body has termed Gandhi's allegations as "misleading" and "absurd".
Gandhi, however, has reiterated his demand for electoral data, including machine-readable data from the past 10-15 years and CCTV footage, to verify his claims. He warned election officers of potential future consequences if they fail to provide the requested data, suggesting that they would be held accountable when the opposition comes to power. Gandhi stated that the judiciary needs to get involved to protect the democracy.
Gandhi cited an analysis of voter data from the Bangalore Central constituency in Karnataka during the 2024 general elections as evidence of electoral malpractice. He claimed that the BJP won the seat by a margin of 32,707 votes, despite the Congress winning six out of the seven assembly segments within the constituency. Gandhi highlighted the Mahadevapura Assembly segment, where the Congress lost by over 114,000 votes, as a prime example of alleged voter fraud. He alleged that there was a "vote chori" of over 1 lakh votes in Mahadevapura due to duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters at single addresses. Gandhi claimed that an internal research by Congress found over one lakh duplicate voters, invalid addresses, bulk voters in Mahadevapura constituency in Karnataka. He also pointed to the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year, citing an abnormal spike in voting after 5:30 pm and the addition of 70 lakh voters between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections held in the same year, as further evidence of electoral manipulation.
Chief Electoral Officers from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana have issued notices to Gandhi, urging him to sign the declaration for verification of ineligible voters. The Karnataka Election Commission has also demanded that Gandhi provide the names of allegedly wrongfully included electors to support his "vote theft" claim. The poll body has asserted that the electoral rolls were prepared transparently and that election results can only be challenged through an Election Petition in the High Court. The Karnataka CEO is expecting the signed Declaration and Oath from Rahul Gandhi.
