The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly responded to allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding voter roll manipulation and bias in favor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ECI is demanding that Gandhi either provide a signed declaration under oath to support his claims or apologize to the nation.

Gandhi's accusations, presented at a recent rally, included claims of "voter theft," manipulated voter rolls, missing voter lists, erased CCTV footage, and intimidation of opposition leaders. He specifically cited irregularities in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, alleging issues such as "one crore mystery voters," destruction of CCTV footage, thousands of fake voters, and the ECI's refusal to share voter-related data. Gandhi claimed that 100,250 "fake votes" were added in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Karnataka's Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency to secure a fourth consecutive win for the BJP candidate. He further alleged that the ECI is destroying evidence by limiting the preservation of CCTV and webcasting footage to 45 days after the election process, unless legally challenged.

The ECI has dismissed Gandhi's allegations as "misleading" and stated that he has made public claims without following any official complaint process or legal recourse. Responding under the hashtag #ECIFactCheck, the ECI challenged Gandhi to back up his claims with a signed declaration, as per Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The ECI argues that if Gandhi truly believes in his analysis and that his allegations against the election staff are true, he should have no problem submitting claims and objections against specific voters and signing the declaration.

The ECI also addressed the issue of CCTV footage, stating that footage is retained if an election petition (EP) is filed; otherwise, it serves no purpose unless someone intends to breach voter privacy. They added that reviewing CCTV footage from 1 lakh polling stations would take approximately 273 years with no legal outcome possible. The ECI also noted that during the preparation of the Electoral Roll in LS-2024, the Indian National Congress (INC) filed hardly any appeals across all 36 States & UTs under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act 1950.

In response, Rahul Gandhi has slammed the ECI for asking for an affidavit under oath, stating that he has already taken an oath in Parliament. He has challenged the ECI to provide ten years of electronic voter lists and videography of polling stations, claiming he will prove voter theft in more Lok Sabha seats across the country. Gandhi claims that the ECI and BJP colluded to steal the Lok Sabha election from the people. He alleges that the BJP won wherever such new voters cast their votes, pointing to "wrongdoings".

Gandhi has also stated that INDIA alliance MPs will visit the ECI in New Delhi to show their unity in the fight against the alleged voter theft.